
Class - B ( 7 5 

Book 'Vl^s33 

GopyrightN L^X^ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 



A Concise and Practical View 
of the Cardinal Doctrines and 
Institutions of Christianity^ 



BY 

JONATHAN WEAVER, D.D. 

Bishop of the 
Church of the United Brethren in Christ 



Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom." — Paul 
11 But the word of the Lord shall endure forever." — Peter 



MEMORIAL EDITION 




DAYTON, OHIO 

United Brethren Publishing House 

1900 






Copyright, 1900, by 

United Brethren Publishing House 

W. R. Funk, Agent 

Alt Rights Reserved 



Cl.M.cCU,<^-^.»S 



00 



Received from 
yright Office. 

16 N'09 









DEDICATION. 

So tf)c Cijurcl) of t|?e (Kmteti TBtetyttn in Cljri&t, 

within whose fellowship I have lived for more than half a century, 
and from whom I have received so many favors, and 
tokens of good will and sympathy, this unpre- 
tending book is affectionately 
dedicated by the 

AUTHOR. 



PREFACE. 

It is a source of encouragement and inspiration that, as good men close 
their well-spent lives, they have the promise that their works shall live for all 
the ages to come. "He who has added one leaf to the tree of humanity, one 
blossom to its wealth of bloom, or aught to its harvest of fruit, may rely 
upon the eternal law that neither things present, nor things to come, can 
deprive these out-going particles of their immortality." Ever on they will 
flow until they shall mingle with the "sea of glass" which is before the 
"throne of God and the Lamb in heaven." The debt of gratitude for the 
good that comes through such lives can never be paid. 

What Bishop Weaver is, and what he has done, will perpetually enter into 
the lives of those who shall come after him. While there has been no at- 
tempt to put into literary form his life-work, all that he writes is so charac- 
teristic, so like himself, that each new production is a contribution to the 
permanent influence of his unique personality. This last fruit of his fertile 
pen may be considered the supreme literary effort of his long and busy life. 
While age has made him venerable, it has not in any degree weakened his 
mental vigor, nor diminished its activity. The reader will find it to be a 
valuable contribution, both of knowledge and of power, to the subject of 
Christian theology. The work abounds with a richness gathered in three- 
score eventful years of active research in the great field of Christian thought. 
It is a clear setting forth of biblical truth, rather than any sectarian form 
of it. Like coins, it bears the stamp of the age and brain it was struck in. 
The doctrinal statements presented are chiefly deduced from the Revised 
Version, which gives us the purest form of the text thus far attainable by 
the best criticism and scholarship. The book is also characterized by that 
deeper insight into the truth which comes from an inner consciousness of its 
power, revealed by the Holy Ghost when he makes it the word of life to the 
soul. 

There is no field of thought so delightful and elevating as the one to which 
the reader is here invited. The Scriptures are a case enclosing one precious 
jewel. They reveal the Christ, the study of whose character transforms and 
transfigures the life as no other power can do. A man will be made after the 
manner of his thoughts. If these are employed in the realm of exalted great- 
ness his soul will expand until it reaches the dimensions of his aspirations. 
If he ponders over low and inferior subjects he will never rise above his 
theme, for as a man "thinketh in his heart, so is he." It is an exalted privi- 
lege to "think God's thoughts after him." Behind the curtain of nature and 
the play of forces stands an unseen Being who has created the world, pre- 
scribed the laws of nature, and stamped the whole with his thought. The 
Bible is the clear expression of the mind or thought of God as dimly out- 
lined in the book of the universe. Between these two revelations there is no 
discord. Theories of science conflict among themselves; but the verdict of 
the ripest scholarship of the age is that science and the Scriptures exhibit a 
more wonderful harmony as the world advances. 

The author places special emphasis upon the positive side of revealed 

v 



vi PREFACE 

truth ; a positive revelation from God, as the only infallible rule of faith and 
practice, is a priceless treasure. The church is the custodian of these sacred 
oracles. In this day when skepticism is so rife, and when men who pose as 
Christian teachers seek to betray the church with theories not in accord with 
the saving truth as revealed in the Word of God, a tremendous obligation 
rests upon the church to lift aloft the light of truth and let it shine out clear 
and strong, its rays unbroken by the film of doubt, its luster undimmed by 
irrational criticism, high or low. 

A most commendable feature of this work is its conciseness of statement. 
The great doctrines are given in condensed and convenient form. We are 
living in an intensely practical age. The majority of men will not take time 
for extensive reading in any line of study. The student of to-day who seeks 
help in the study of the Bible wants practical facts, not theories or wild 
speculations. This work admirably meets the demand. The student of to-day 
also requires that even theology be written in a lively way. Dullness in writing, 
or telling mankind how to find the way out of this tangled world, ought to be 
branded as a sin. The author happily meets this requirement. Nothing dull 
comes from his pen. He not only sees the truth clearly, and tells it plainly, 
but there is a refreshing sprightliness in the style, which infuses it with 
warmth and color and clothes it with beauty. 

The generous reception given to the writings of the Bishop, and his promi- 
nence as an author, are guarantees that the future of this book is assured. 
Such a gift to the church and to the world is a fitting climax to his good and 
useful life. 

The sunset of the nineteenth century will presage with added glory the 
coming of the twentieth because Bishop Weaver lived, thought, and wrote. 

H. H. Fout. 



CONTENTS. 

Preface, ---------- t 

Contents, ---------- v ji 

Introduction, ---------- x i 

CHAPTER I. 
Theology, 1 

CHAPTER II. 
The Existence of God, -------- 9 

CHAPTER III. 
The Attributes of God, ------- 21 

CHAPTER IV. 
The Divinity of Christ, 3& 

CHAPTER V. 
Hypostatic Union, -------- 44 

CHAPTER VI. 
The Personality and Deity of the Holy Ghost, - - - 49 

CHAPTER VII. 
Influence and Office of the Holy Spirit, - 57 

CHAPTER VIII. 
The Trinity, - 63 

CHAPTER IX. 
Man, Origin and Fall, ------- 71 

CHAPTER X. 

The Free Moral Agency of Man, ------ 83 

▼ii 



viii CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XI. 
Immortality of the Soul, ---..... 90 

CHAPTER XII. 
The Existence of Angels, ....... 101 

CHAPTER XIII. 
The Personal Existence and Evil Influence of Devils, - - 106 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Evidences of Christianity, ------- 112 

CHAPTER XV. 
The Atonement, - , - - - - - - - - 131 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Repentance, - - - - - - - 149 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Faith, __-------• 156 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
Justification, - 162 

CHAPTER XIX. 
Regeneration, --------- 170 

CHAPTER XX. 
Adoption — Sonship, --------- 17G 

CHAPTER XXI. 
Witness of the Spirit — Assurance, ----- 180 

CHAPTER XXII. 
Sanctification, -------- 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
Divine Providence, ------- 



CONTENTS ix 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
Love to God, ------- - - 205 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Prayer, 212 

CHAPTER XXVI. 
Reading and Studying the Scriptures, - - - - 222 

CHAPTER XXVII. 
Purlic Worship, --------- 229 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 
Christian Benevolence, -------- 234 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

The Church, - - 242 

CHAPTER XXX. 
Baptism, - - - - *. - - - - - - 248 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

The Lord's Supper, - - - • 262 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

The Sabrath, - 268 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 
The Intermediate State, ------- 278 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 
The Resurrection of the Dead, ------ 289 

CHAPTER XXXV. 
Future General Judgment, ------- 299 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 
Future State of the Righteous, ------ 306 



x CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Future State of the Wicked, - - . - 312 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Hades (Hell), 321 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Church Government, 327 

CHAPTER XL. 

The Ministry, 337 

CHAPTER XLI. 

Written Creeds — Disciplines, 352 

CHAPTER XLII. 
Husbands and Wives, - - - - - - - - - 360 

CHAPTER XLI II.- 
Parents and Children, ....... 365 

CHAPTER XLIV. 

Civil Government, 370 

Index, 377 



INTRODUCTION. 

The two principal sources of theology are nature and revelation. Natural 
theology has its held, but when compared with revealed theology it is as the 
early dawn to high noonday. In natural theology we find evidences of the 
existence of an intelligent first cause-— evidences of knowledge, wisdom, power, 
and goodness. But it is only when viewed in the light of revealed theology 
that we can arrive at anything clear and satisfactory. Dr. Miley says, 
"Many of the deeper truths of Christianity could never be discovered simply 
in the light of nature. No truths of theology are so clearly given therein as 
in the Scriptures." The fact that God in his infinite goodness has given us a 
revelation of divine things, is in itself sufficient evidence of its necessity. 

The wisest men of all the ages, after the most diligent and patient investi- 
gation, unaided by revelation, failed to arrive at any satisfactory conclusions 
concerning the fatherhood of God, the love of God, or a universal providence. 
Neither did they realize their moral and individual responsibility to God, nor 
how to worship him aright. Christian theology is aided in its development 
from the realm of nature, and from other sources, but revelation is the main 
source. 

There is no real conflict between true science and theology. When scien- 
tists shall understand theology better, and theologians shall understand science 
better, they will see the most beautiful harmony between the two. Some 
things are pressed into the field of science which do not properly belong 
there ; they are only theories and speculations, without any real fact as a 
basis. True science, while it should always be made subordinate to revela- 
tion, is not out of harmony with it. "In true religion," says Dr. White, 
"truth is first and supreme. Truth, exact, well-defined, and correlated, should 
be the object of the theologian as well as the scientist, both in the matters of 
nature and the records of Scripture. When this rule is thoroughly adopted 
and followed there will be no warfare between science and theology." While 
it is not claimed that too much attention is given to the sciences, it is to be 
feared that too little attention is devoted to revelation. It is offensive to the 
pride of human reason to be required to yield to anything superhuman. "Men 
who have been educated under the light of revelation, and who have access 
to the discoveries there made, may pursue an*d improve these discoveries, and 
then securely boast of what mighty things they can do by the strength of their 
own reason and penetration." Paul was a learned man, and doubtless knew 
something about the poets and philosophers of the pagan world ; nevertheless 
he says, "The world by wisdom knew not God" ( I. Cor. 1 : 21 ) . The poets 
and philosophers did know something about God, or the gods, but the wisest 
and best among them did not know God as he is made known by revelation. 
Human learning and philosophy have done their utmost to recover mankind 
from idolatry and polytheism, but have utterly failed. They have failed in 
"instructing mankind in the right knowledge and worship of the only true 
God." 

These observations are not made with the view of detracting one iota from 
human reason and philosophy, but to show that, unaided by revelation, they 
have failed, and must continue to fail to bring to mankind that knowledge of 
divine things which it is necessary to know, and which from his own intuitions 



xii INTRODUCTION 

he desires to know. Human reason and philosophy falter and tremble on the 
very threshold of the invisible. Pagan philosophers would sometimes talk 
about God, and then about the gods. Sometimes they seemed to believe in. the 
immortality of the soul and then again leave it in doubt. They often rea- 
soned well concerning a future state, but would affirm nothing. Between 
their lives you could always find that cheerless "if." 

Dr. Leland says, "It having appeared by experience, after a long trial, that 
human wisdom and reason, if left to itself, was insufficient to recover and re- 
form mankind, it pleased God in his great goodness to grant a revelation from 
heaven, which was designed to be published to the heathen nations." He 
also says, "If we have now the knowledge of the only true God, if not only 
men of great learning and deep speculation, but thousands of the people in 
Christian nations have a juster notion of God, of his providence, and of the 
worship that is due to him, in opposition to all idolatry and polytheism, than 
ever the wise men and philosophers among the pagans had, to what can this 
so properly be ascribed as to the light of divine revelation which shineth 
among us?" But for the light and benefit of a divine revelation the pre- 
sumption is that we should be wandering in the mazes of error and supersti- 
tion. If such men as Socrates, Plato, Cicero, and their coadjutors "were 
at so great a loss in what related to the knowledge and worship of the only 
true God," from what source have we reason to think such knowledge would 
come? 

Nature is a source of theology, but without the light of revelation thrown 
upon it, it furnishes no certain knowledge of God, of providence, and of the 
worship of the only true God. Neither does it furnish any certain knowledge 
of the origin and future destiny of mankind. Questions which deeply con- 
cern the human mind are all left in the realm of doubt. But under the light 
of divine revelation nature furnishes many beautiful and helpful lessons con- 
cerning the knowledge, wisdom, power, and benevolence of God. 

The study of Christian theology is not only instructive, but elevating and 
delightful. No subject in all the range of human thought is to be compared 
to it. As a science, it rises above all other sciences, and is, when properly 
understood, the basis of all science. "Theology proper," says Dr. Pope, "is 
the doctrine concerning God," while Christian theology is "the science of God 
and divine things, or religion, as based upon the revelation made to mankind 
in Jesus Christ and systematized within the Christian church." 

In studying theology we are brought into companionship with the purest 
and best minds of all the ages. We enter into companionship, and, if we 
will, into fellowship with Jesus Christ. We travel with him from place to 
place during the time of his ministry on earth. We listen to his Sermon on 
the Mount ; sit at Jacob's well and hear that wonderful discourse delivered 
to the woman of Samaria ; we are with him in the home of Martha and Mary, 
and go with them to the grave of Lazarus and hear him when he commands 
Death to give up his victim ; we are with him on the Mount of Transfigura- 
tion, and witness a scene never to be forgotten — heaven and earth brought in 
touch with each other. Descending from the mount, we listen to his parables, 
and witness his miracles — the deaf are made to hear, the blind to see, the 
lame to walk, and all manner of diseases are cured. With peculiar delight 
we listen to his words concerning the fatherhood and love of God. Then we 
are with him in the Garden of Gethsemane, and as he stands before Pilate. 
We go to Calvary, to see him nailed to the cross, and hear his seven utter- 
ances during the six hours of his indescribable suffering. Then we go with 
Joseph and Nicodemus and see his wounded body laid in the tomb. On the 



INTRODUCTION xiii 

morning of the third day we go back to the tomb, and lo ! the tomb is empty, 
and we confront an angel, who tells us he is not there, but is risen from the 
dead. Forty days afterward we go with him over against Bethany, and see 
him as he ascends to heaven. In like manner we travel about with 
patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, and finally go with John to Patmos, and 
catch some glimpses of what there is beyond this world. What study can be 
more delightful and of deeper interest than that of Christian theology? espe- 
cially since we find in it what we cannot find elsewhere, and realize that it 
meets a want in the soul which human reason and philosophy never have satis- 
fied, and never can. 

In the preparation of this book the author has not attempted to produce 
anything new or elaborate. There is a field for scholastic, polemic, and sys- 
tematic theology, but although this is fairly well supplied, there is a broad field 
demanding more of the positive — the plain truth stated in clear and positive 
form. Dr. Ralston says : "While in all the various branches pertaining to 
mere physical and intellectual sciences the master-minds of the age have gone 
forth in active and energetic search of improved methods of rendering these 
studies pleasing and easy, it is remarkable that in theology, the greatest and 
most important of all sciences, so little effort has been made in this direction. 
The science of divinity is a sublime system of positive truth, and should be 
set forth in an easy, natural, and connected form." 

It is a fact that a large per cent, of ministers, and a still larger per cent, of 
church people, are not in condition to enter successfully upon the study of 
polemic, scholastic, or systematic theology. They have not, and will not have 
the advantage of intellectual culture such as is necessary to enter upon such 
a course of study. The present needs of the church are to be considered, not 
what they have been in the past, nor what they may be in the future. Both 
the church and the world must be taken as they are, not at what they ought 
to be. He is a philosopher who will take things as they are, and, as far as 
consistent, adapt himself to them, and then try to make them better. There 
does not appear to be any lack of theories and speculations, but there is a 
lack of the positive. The pulpit should deal more largely in the positive and 
more sparingly in theories and speculations. There is no substitute for the 
plain simple truths of the gospel of Christ. It was the aim of the author to 
present, in a connected form, the cardinal doctrines of Christian theology. 
He offers no apology for the liberal use he has made of the Holy Scriptures. 
While he has consulted many authors on the several doctrines considered, his 
purpose was to make the Scriptures the standard of proof and appeal. 

We are living in an active and aggressive age. Everything is moving 
rapidly, and men are in too great haste to read or listen to critical and 
elaborate arguments for or against anything. The demand is for the positive, 
the plain, simple truth. Skepticism in its multiplied forms was never in a 
more confused condition than at this time. Its votaries, as if by common 
consent, are seeking refuge in the delapidated fortress of agnosticism. If the 
church of the living God will stand firmly and uncompromisingly by the great 
fundamental truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and if the living ministry 
will deliver those truths in demonstration of the Spirit, there is good reason 
to believe that in the very near future the church will reap such a harvest as 
never before. 

With no small degree of timidity, and with many misgivings, the author 
submits his unpretentious book to the friends of Christianity, trusting that 
it may be helpful to all who will take time to read and examine its contents. 



CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

CHAPTER I. 

THEOLOGY. 

In entering upon the study of any science it is necessary 
that the student have fixed in his mind a clear and distinct un- 
derstanding of the meaning and scope of what he is about to 
study. Theology is a science, and as such it is the broadest and 
most comprehensive of all, because it not only touches but in- 
cludes all the sciences. To find its origin we must go back of 
all created things, back of all ages known to men or angels. 
God is the foundation of all theology. Christian theology is 
built upon this rock, and relies upon revelation for its facts, 
especially upon that which relates to Jesus Christ. "He is the 
supreme teacher both, of theology and religion ; they are united 
in him." 

There are many truths which relate to science which are ex- 
ceedingly interesting and profitable to mankind. "But the 
grandest truths in the great encyclopedia of physics sink into 
comparative insignificance when brought into comparison with 
the truth of Scripture." In this short chapter we desire to sub- 
mit in several forms, not wholly original, the wonderful science 
of Christian theology. It is not proposed to discuss any one 
point of doctrine in particular, but to so present the different 
branches of theology as to assist the reader in forming some 
conceptions of its vastness. In submitting these divisions and 
subdivisions of the subject we shall follow the general plan 
laid down by some of the most learned and able theologians that 
have ever written upon it. 



2 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

The term "theology" comes from e^ God, and Uyoc doc- 
trine; the doctrine of God and divine things. The word, or 
term, first occurred in Plato and Aristotle, who understood by- 
it, not the doctrine of the true God, but the doctrine concerning 
the Greek gods. The Greek Christians used the term yv&ns 
(knowledge) when they wished to designate any deep philo- 
sophical truths of religion. The term "theology" does not occur 
in the New Testament. It came into use in the third and fourth 
centuries, especially by such of the Christian fathers as defined 
the doctrine of the deity of the Logos. In this sense John the 
Evangelist and Gregory of Nazianzus were termed "theo- 
logians." About this time, namely the third and fourth cen- 
turies, the term "theology" was applied specifically to the doc- 
trine of the Trinity. "In this century its application was wid- 
ened by Theodoret, who used the term to denote the whole circle 
of theoretical instruction in religion; and finally, Abelard, 
through his 'Theologia Christiana/ gave the word that com- 
prehensive signification it still bears, as expressive not only of 
a theoretical but also a practical exposition of religious truth. 
The word 'divinity' is sometimes used to denote the same thing 
as theology." Dr. Pope defines theology thus: "God is the 
source and the subject and the end of theology. The stricter 
and earlier uses of the word limited it to the doctrine of the 
triune God and his attributes. But in modern usage it includes 
the whole compass of the science of religion, or the relations 
of all things to God." Dr. Hodge says, "Theology, therefore, 
is the exhibition of the facts of Scripture in their proper order 
and relation with the principles or general truths involved in 
the facts themselves, and which pervade and harmonize the 
whole." These definitions cover substantially the whole field 
of Christian theology. The two great sources of Christian the- 
ology are nature and revelation. From the light of nature and 
our own consciousness we learn something about God and of 



THEOLOGY 3 

our own individual responsibility. But many of the deeper 
truths of Christianity could never be discovered simply by the 
light of nature. 

The term "theology" is variously used by theologians to desig- 
nate the several branches of doctrine, or Scripture truths, and 
the several ways in which these truths are presented. We can 
do but little more than name and define some of the principal 
terms used in designating these several branches. The field of 
Christian theology is so vast that no one can discuss all its parts. 
The "science of God and divine things" opens up a line of 
thought which will doubtless occupy the mind through all the 
eternities. 

Natural Theology, This is an interesting and instructive 
branch of the science of theology which treats of divine things. 
It treats of the being, attributes, and will of God as manifest 
in the various phenomena in nature. Natural theology opens 
the great book of the universe, and finds on every page evidences 
of the existence of God, and to some extent the attributes and 
character of God. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and 
the firmament sheweth his handiwork." Natural theology 
treats mainly of what is made manifest in the works of nature. 
It teaches us especially to reason from effect to cause. No 
thinking man, that "considers the heavens" in their vastness 
and glory, will venture to say that there are no marks of design 
to be seen in the universe. The ancient skeptics found nothing 
to set up against the evidences of design. The wisdom and skill 
manifest in the contrivance of the material universe force the 
mind to admit that there are at least some marks of design. If, 
therefore, we find in nature any evidences of design, it estab- 
lishes the fact of a designer. This is the rock upon which nat- 
ural theology rests. From the various phenomena in nature 
we may reason a posteriori, and prove the existence of a wise, 



4 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

benevolent, and powerful God. This is the province of natural 
theology. 

Polemic Theology. This term was first used by Friedman 
Bechmann, a Jena theologian of the seventeenth century, who 
wrote a book under the title of "Theologia Polemica." Po^ 
lemic theology treats mainly of disputed points in a critical 
manner; "taking up the different or erroneous views that have 
been advanced respecting them, and refuting them either by 
logical argument or by an exposure of them by a true critical 
exposition of such texts of Scripture as bear upon the contro- 
verted points." 

Positive Theology. This treats more directly of what may be 
regarded as the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. It ap- 
peals directly and mainly to the Word of God and the testi- 
monies of the fathers, the decrees of councils, etc., to settle dis- 
puted points of doctrine without so much circumlocution. In 
this it differs widely from polemics. Polemics deal largely in 
negatives, communicating truth by revealing absurdities. Posi- 
tive theology aims to convey the truth to the mind upon its own 
merits, "without the intervention of any doubtful media." It 
seeks "to condense as much as possible and to bring the con- 
stellation of Bible doctrines within the field of vision from every 
standpoint in the activities of life and the gradations of intelli- 
gence." While we would not reject all polemics, we neverthe- 
less believe that the direct mode is the better way of dealing 
with the great doctrines of the Bible. Jesus Christ, the greatest 
teacher the world ever knew, dealt sparingly in the negatives; 
the same is true of the apostles. They taught what they be- 
lieved, and believed what they taught. The pulpit is never so 
strong and forceful as when it deals in the positives of Christian 
theology. 

Scholastic Theology. This is "that species of divinity which 
clears and discusses questions by reason and argument." In 



THEOLOGY 5 

this it is the opposite of positive theology. It is a laborious way 
of reaching the truth, and can only be adopted by a few per- 
sons. In this practical age it is falling far behind, and is much 
less regarded than formerly. "This form of school divinity," 
says Professor Henderson, "is now fallen into contempt, and is 
scarcely regarded anywhere, but in some of the universities, 
where they are still by their character obliged to teach it." 

Systematic Theology. This implies and includes a methodic- 
ally arranged form of the great truths and precepts of Chris- 
tianity. By such an arrangement the student in theology will 
be better able to study and comprehend the cardinal truths of re- 
vealed religion. The doctrines of Christianity form a com- 
plete system — a perfect chain, reaching through all ages, 
adapted to all people, and including time and eternity. Viewed 
in the light of a complete system, the student in theology will 
be able to see the truths "in their natural connection, and thus 
to perceive both the natural dependence of the parts and the 
symmetry of the whole." 

Pastoral Theology. This is that department of theological 
science which relates to the practical duties of the ministerial 
office. It combines in the sacred office the idea of watchman, 
shepherd, and evangelist. Its importance arises from the very 
nature of the case — "the personal application of the pulpit min- 
istry to the proper individualities of the people." "No branch 
of Christianity should be studied with greater care than this. 

To these might be added exegetical, biblical, dogmatic, and 
historical theology; but these cover substantially the same 
ground, and are largely included in the several branches named. 
Dr. Pope sums up the whole science of Christian theology thus : 
"(1) That God is the sole teacher of the things concerning him- 
self ; he alone who gave the faculty and instinct can respond to 
it. (2) That the essence of theology is the practical knowledge 
of God as revealed in his Son through his Spirit. (3) That 



6 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

the study can be successfully carried on only in the spirit of 
reverence and devotion. All is concerning God, and comes from 
God, and leads to God." 

It should not be considered an objection to the Holy Scrip- 
tures, because no such systematic arrangement may be found in 
them. "Holy Writ is given us that it may be used by us for our 
spiritual instruction and improvement; reason is given us to 
enable us to make the proper use of both the temporal and spir- 
itual benefits which God has seen meet to bestow. We are, then, 
at liberty — nay, it is our duty — to arrange the doctrine of Holy 
Writ in such a way as may prove most useful in assisting us both 
to understand and to retain it." 

In the providence of God, learned and devout men have been 
raised up who have devoted many years to studying and arrang- 
ing the great truths of Christianity into a system, so that the 
student in theology, while he must always cling closely to the 
Word of God, is materially aided in his study of the great doc- 
trines of the Bible by this systematic arrangement. 

It may still be a little more comprehensive to consider this 
subject in a somewhat different light. Our object is, as much as 
possible, to get before the mind of the student what is implied 
and included in the science of theology. In the analysis of the- 
ology as given by Dr. Henderson, the whole system has been 
divided into four parts, namely, exegetical, systematic, histor- 
ical, and 'pastoral. We give this because we have not seen any- 
thing better : 

I . Exegetical Theology. 

This department comprehends, 1. Biblical Introduction, which treats of 
the age, origin, contents, and character of the sacred writings. 2. Biblical 
Criticism, distinguished into (1) Verbal Criticism, which relates to the 
integrity of the original text; (2) Higher Criticism, which examines the 
authenticity of the several books; (3) Biblical Interpretation, or Herma- 
neutics; (4) Biblical Exposition, or Exegesis. 



THEOLOGY 7 

II. Systematic Theology. 

This department comprehends, 1. Theoretical Theology, or Dogmatics, dis- 
tinguished into (1) Biblical, which draws its system exclusively from the 
Scriptures; (2) Ecclesiastical, which exhibits systematically the doctrines 
of a church; (3) Polemic, which undertakes to refute false exhibitions on 
the spot; (4) Apologetic, which is the defense and confirmation of Chris- 
tianity in general. 2. Practical Theology, or Christian Ethics, which system- 
atically applies the Christian rules of duty to (1) the Internal Affections 
and Motives; (2) the Visible Actions of Mankind. 3. Didactic Theolo- 
gy. This further distinction arises from the mode in which Systematic The- 
ology is taught, which may be (1) Scientific, which puts in requisition all 
the aids of learning; (2) Popular, which leaves out of view all that cannot 
be apprehended without learned attainments. 

III. Historical Theology. 

This department comprehends, 1. The General History of Religion among 
mankind. 2. The History of the Christian Religion, or Church History. 

3. History of Doctrines (including Patristic, or the writings of the Fathers). 

4. History of Creeds and Denominations. 5. Antiquities, Jewish and Chris- 
tian, of Archaeology. 6. Theological literature, of Bibliography. 

IV. Pastoral Theology. 

This department comprehends, 1. Sacred Rhetoric, which is divided into 
(1) Homiletics, or the preparation for the Pulpit; (2) Catachetics, or the 
Instruction of the young. 2. Pastoral Duties, including (1) Officia, Charac- 
ter, and Habits; (2) Forms of Worship and Devotion. 3. Ecclesiastical 
Discipline, or Law, which is (1) General, or common to all Christian de- 
nominations; (2) Special, or belonging peculiarly to his own. 

The whole circle of theological learning is fully included in 
the foregoing arrangement. In magnitude and grandeur no 
science is to be compared with that of theology — a the subject 
God and man, eternal life, eternal death." 

God and man. The doctrines which relate to God, as ar- 
ranged by Dr. Ralston, include (1) "the existence of God, (2) 
the attributes of God, (3) the divinity of Christ, (4) the per- 
sonality and divinity of the Holy Ghost, (5) the Holy Trinity, 
(6) the creation, (7) divine providence. The doctrines relating 
to man are (1) the primeval state of man, (2) the fall of man, 
(3) the effect of the fall — depravity, (4) the moral agency of 
man, (5) the final destiny of man." 

The Holy Scriptures, with such helps as we may be able to 



8 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

obtain, should be studied with great care, praying the while that 
the Holy Spirit may lead us into all truth. Truth, which is "a 
principle of eternal verity, inherent in God," and revealed in 
his Word, is what we must seek for. This is the living soul of 
Christian theology. 



CHAPTER II. 
THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. 

All nations, even from the remotest antiquity, have believed 
in the existence of God. Through all the revolutions of successive 
ages this idea was never wholly lost. This belief forms the foun- 
dation of all religions, whether natural or revealed. Eliminate 
this idea from the human mind, and there would be no religion 
at all. If there is no being in the universe superior to ourselves, 
then there is no object of worship, and if there is no object of 
worship, there can be no such thing as religion. Religion and 
worship mutually imply each other. Neither can exist without 
the other. With this sublime idea the first sentence of the Holy 
Bible opens, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the 
earth." According to the learned Dr. Adam Clarke, the term 
"God," from the Hebrew Elohim, is traced back to the Arabic 
root Alaha. This not only implies a supreme being, but that he 
is good, and the only proper object of worship. In Latin the 
word God is Bens, and in Greek Theos, which signify supreme 
being. In all languages the term "God" implies and includes the 
idea of worship. All nations, therefore, that worship, in what- 
ever form, must believe in a being superior to themselves ; and 
as all nations in all the ages have worshiped, we conclude that 
all nations believe in the existence of God. The universal idea 
or belief in the existence of some being superior to man is an 
unanswerable argument in favor of theism. Whence this idea ? 
If it be said that it is traditional, the force of the argument is 
not weakened. Man is not eternal. There must have been a 
first man. Whence did he obtain this idea? It cannot be 
attributed to the light of revelation, for the idea obtains 
among the lowest heathen nations on earth — nations and peoples 



10 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

upon whom not a ray of the light of revelation has ever fallen. 
Whence did they derive this idea ? Dr. Miley says : "Religion 
is as widespread as the human family, and pervades the history 
of the race. But religion carries with it some form of the idea 
of God or of some order of supernatural existence." It must be 
so, else there would be no religion. But religion in some form 
or other is universal, and therefore the idea of some form of 
supernatural existence must be universal. !No matter how we 
may account for the origin of man, the fact remains that wher- 
ever he is found upon the face of the earth the idea of the ex- 
istence of some supernatural being or beings prevails. ~No mat- 
ter what they worship, whether it is wood or stone, there is some- 
thing more present in their thought than the visible object they 
worship. 

Again we ask, Whence this universal idea of the existence of 
some being or beings superior to man? Since it cannot be 
affirmed that it came by tradition or revelation, the only remain- 
ing answer is that it is intuitive. It inheres in the very nature 
of man. He cannot get away from himself. His own conscious- 
ness abides with him. Dr. Miley says : "The idea of God as a 
sense or conviction of his existence is a product of the intuitive 
faculty. There is an intuitive faculty of the mind — the faculty 
of immediate insight into truth." If it could be proved beyond 
all doubt that there are nations and tribes of men who have no 
religion at all — that do not worship anything, — it would bear 
against this intuitive idea of God. But such a nation or tribe is 
yet to be found. The idea of the existence of some being or 
beings superior to man is universal, and hence intuitive. 

The history of all past ages, together with the facts of the 
present age, shows beyond all reasonable doubt that man is con- 
stitutionally religious. How else can we account for the uni- 
versal disposition to worship ? If man had no intuition of the 
existence of a being superior to himself, he would not worship 



TEE EXISTENCE OF GOD 11 

at all. From whatever source he derived his existence he derived 
this intuition. If God created man, as the Bible affirms, then 
we have a solution of this problem. But if there is no God, and 
man came from no one knows where, the problem remains 
unsolved. 

"If atheism is true, then man is out of harmony with truth." 
This is an anomaly, and how are we to account for it ? Atheism 
says there is no God — no supernatural first cause ; but man has 
within him the intuitive conviction that there is a God, and this 
conviction is as universal as the family of man. If man is the 
offspring of chance, or if he is evolved from some lower order of 
being, it is strange indeed that he should be so completely "out 
of harmony with truth." It would seem most reasonable that 
whatever caused him to exist would impress upon his nature the 
truth. But if atheism is true, then that which caused man to 
be is untrustworthy, for it impressed upon his consciousness the 
conviction that there is a God — some being or beings superior 
to himself. But turning from atheism to theism, we find an 
easy solution of this problem. God created man and impressed 
upon his immortal nature the idea of himself, so that man, wher- 
ever you find him, is not out of harmony with truth, but out of 
harmony with atheism. 

Arguments in proof of the divine existence may be gathered 
from every nook and corner of the material universe, but the 
fact of this universal intuitive conviction ought to settle the 
question beyond all doubt. 

Our general idea of God is well expressed in the following 
language: "God, that infinitely great, intelligent, and free 
being; of perfect goodness, wisdom, and power; transcend- 
ently glorious in holiness; who made the universe, and con- 
tinues to support it, as well as to govern and direct it by his 
providence and law." 

A few other definitions may be added. Martensen gives a 



12 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

definition which Dr. Hodge thinks cannot be surpassed, "God 
is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his wisdom, 
power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth." Dr. Miley de- 
fines it thus, "God is an eternal personal being, of absolute 
knowledge, power, and goodness." 

Mr. Rothe, that great thinker of Germany, says, "It is 
an incomparably great thing to affirm the existence of God." 
Modern atheistic philosophy has made it more reasonable to 
make this affirmation. Facts are stubborn things against which, 
to contend. Marks of design and workmanship are so clearly 
manifest in the multiplied contrivances in the material universe 
that skeptics find no argument to set up against them, and do not 
so boldly affirm that there is no God. They have taken shelter 
under the thin covering of agnosticism, and say, "We do not 
know." There lies before me a book. It is neatly bound. I 
open it and find letters put together forming words, and words 
put together forming sentences. I notice also commas, colons, 
semicolons, and periods. Everything about it seems to be in 
order. Whence this book ? Was it made ? Did somebody put 
it together ? The agnostic says, "I do not know." But no man 
of common sense would accept such an answer as satisfactory. 
The material universe is a book with unnumbered marks of 
design and workmanship. Was it made ? Did some one arrange 
its different parts and set them in motion ? The agnostic says> 
"I do not know." The know-nothingism of the great body of 
skeptics to-day is the surest evidence of the weakness of their 
cause. Driven from the field of downright atheism by the great 
army of facts so apparent in the material universe, against 
which they have no argument, they seek shelter in the dilapi- 
dated castle of ignorance, "I do not know." 

To prove the existence of a God such as the Bible represents, 
it is only necessary to admit the existence of cause and effect, 
and their proper relation to each other. It must be conceded 



THE EXISTENCE OF GOD 13 

that the cause is equal to the effect. "No attribute, power, or 
quality can reside in the effect superior to the single or aggregate 
properties of the cause." The material universe in all its mil- 
lions of parts, stands before us as the effect of some cause, and 
the cause must be equal to the effect. All right reason stands 
ready to affirm this. 

Furthermore, wherever we see evidences of design we must 
admit the pre-existence of a designer. It is not supposable that 
the complete adaptation of one thing to another is the result of 
chance; nor is it possible to suppose that nothing produced 
something. Something must have always existed, else we have 
an effect without a cause, which is impossible. There are but 
two primary substances in the universe known to philosophers ; 
these are matter and mind. Now, whichever of these existed 
first must be the cause of the other. Which is the greater, mat- 
ter or mind ? If mind is superior to matter, then mind must 
have produced matter. If matter produced mind, then we have 
an effect vastly greater than the cause. 

If it be assumed that matter is eternal, then how shall we 
account for the production of life \ So far as we know, life 
proceeds from life, and from nothing else. If inert matter 
under any circumstances produced life, these same elements and 
forces must still remain as properties of matter, and like re- 
sults would follow. But such is not the fact. At the very 
threshold of this theory rests the far-reaching and unanswered 
question, Can that which is mutable be eternal \ All matter is 
mutable, subject to change, and hence in the nature of things 
cannot be eternal. God only is immutable, and he only is eter- 
nal. He is from everlasting to everlasting; the first cause 
of all that is. "That which is a first cause is uncaused. There 
is nothing back of a first," and that first is eternal. If matter 
is eternal, then it is first cause. But matter is mutable, and 
therefore cannot be eternal. 



14 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

The idea of spontaneous generation is contrary to all philo- 
sophical nniformitarianism. We see everything around which 
has life, vegetable or animal, deriving existence in a manner 
which ought forever to silence the advocates of spontaneous gen- 
eration. Are plants and trees produced without seeds or scions \ 
Do animals grow on trees, and men spring up out of the ground % 
No. "Plant produces plant, tree produces tree, animals spring 
from animals, and man from man." With these facts before us 
we can arrive at but one conclusion, which is this, "There must 
have been a first plant which did not spring from a pre-existing 
plant; and there must have been a first pair of human beings 
who were not begotten by any previously existing human be- 
ings." The only logical conclusion that we can reach is this: 
There must have been a Creator who existed before all created 
things, for in no other way can we account for the origin of man 
or the production of life in any form. 

"The plain argument," says Maclaurin, in his "An Account 
of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophy," "for the existence of the 
Deity, obvious to all, and carrying irresistible conviction with 
it, is from the evident contrivance and fitness of things for 
one another which we meet throughout all parts of the universe. 
There is no need of nice or subtle reasonings in this matter ; a 
manifest contrivance immediately suggests a contriver. It 
strikes us like a sensation ; and artful reasoning against it may 
puzzle us, but it is without shaking our belief." 

An Arab was asked how he knew there was a God. "How 
do I know," he asked, "whether a camel or a man passed my 
tent last night ? I know by the footprints." Whoever will take 
time to consider the evidences of the divine existence, as mani- 
fest in the contrivances, order, and complete fitness of things 
throughout all parts of the universe, must conclude that a wise, 
intelligent, and benevolent being devised and arranged it all. 

Cicero said that he would as soon believe that every line of the 



TEE EXISTENCE OF GOD 15 

"Iliad" of Homer was written by shaking letters together in a 
bag as that this universe arose out of blind chance. Can it be 
that all the planets came whirling into their places without the 
existence of an intelligent first cause? a The moon revolves 
around our earth ; the earth, with its associate planets, revolves 
around the sun. The sun, with all its circling planets, moons, 
and asteroids, is rushing along upon a still mightier orbit, 
thirty-three millions of miles in a year, in a revolution which 
it takes eighteen thousand years to accomplish. All the infinite 
host of heaven is grouped into clusters and systems that revolve 
orbit within orbit, and world around world, until a firmament 
of millions of suns is balanced by another as great, and all go 
sweeping together around some mightier center." 

The mind is awe-stricken as the facts of science flash upon it. 
Think of this earth apparently at rest, and yet it is carrying us 
eastward at the rate of a thousand miles an hour, and is being 
whirled about the sun at the rate of nineteen thousand miles an 
hour ; and the sun himself, whose size is so great that our earth is 
only a pigmy by his side, is moving at the rate of three thousand 
miles a minute. Then it is to be remembered that all these 
vast worlds and systems of worlds are held in their "eternal 
grooves without variation" by two opposing forces, so evenly bal- 
anced that neither appears greater than the other. These are 
the centripetal, which draws toward some greater body, and 
the centrifugal, which repels from the center. All this contriv- 
ance, and this complete adjustment and adaptation of one thing 
to another are facts which cannot be set aside, for they are 
clearly manifest in the material universe. 

Let any thinking man contemplate what the result would be 
if one of those mighty worlds, such as Jupiter, should be thrown 
from its "eternal groove." In a moment all worlds would be 
thrown into wild confusion, and as if maddened by such mis- 
hap, would dash against each other until they all would be 



16 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

broken into fragments. But no such catastrophe has occurred. 
For ages untold each world has kept within its own groove. Can 
all this be attributed to the caprice of chance \ If there be no 
God, no intelligent First Cause, then all this harmonious ar- 
rangement, all this complete adaptation of one thing to another, 
is, and of necessity must be, the offspring of nothing. Reason, 
philosophy, and all true science revolt against such an incon- 
ceivable theory. In whatever direction we turn our eyes or di- 
rect our thought we are greeted with unmistakable evidences of 
wisdom, power, benevolence, and design. But notwithstanding 
these and in spite of these, "the fool hath said in his heart, there 
is no God." We see evidences of design, but no designer; a 
creation, but no creator ; a universe, but no God. We are chil- 
dren, but have no father. Whence we are, and whither bound, 
we know not. Fatherless, homeless, hopeless ! 

How reasonable and comforting the belief of the Christian, 
that "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" ; 
that this God is infinitely great, intelligent, of perfect wisdom, 
power, and goodness. All things were made by him and for 
him, for he was before all things. "The invisible things of 
him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being un- 
derstood by the things that are made." Nature, philosophy, 
revelation, and our own consciousness, all certify that there is 
a God of infinite wisdom, power, and goodness. We intuitively 
feel that there is a being superior to ourselves. We cannot get 
away from this conviction. No matter what conceptions we may 
have of that being, the fact abides in our own consciousness. 
This sentiment obtains among all the nations and peoples of the 
earth. Whence this universal conviction? The old philoso- 
phers, while they held strange views concerning the gods, never 
seemed to doubt the fact of their existence. Men to-day who 
reason, or attempt to reason against the existence of God, are 
but trying to quiet this inner consciousness. It is a battle be- 



TEE EXISTENCE OF GOD 17 

tween their will and their convictions. Joseph Cook says, " Con- 
science is the voice of God." If it be not so, whence this voice ? 
Mr. Anselm says, "The idea of God in the mind of man is the 
one unanswerable evidence of the existence of God." If there 
is no being superior to man, whence this feeling of dependence, 
this sense of obligation, this conviction of right and wrong ? Do 
not these all point to a higher power? No matter what the 
standard of right and wrong may be among the different nations 
and peoples of the earth, the fact remains that these convictions 
are universal, and can only be accounted for by a belief in the 
existence of God. 

If it be assumed that all things come into existence by the 
combined action of certain laws and forces, we are still at sea. 
If it could be demonstrated beyond ail doubt that the universe, 
by these laws and forces, were evolved from one single atom, 
the question would then be, Whence these laws and forces ? and 
whence that atom ? An atom is something, and so are laws and 
forces. Were these evolved from nothing \ If they were, then 
nothing is something. That which evolves is, and of necessity 
must be, something. No matter what the assumption of evo- 
lutionists and skeptical scientists may be, they cannot establish 
as a fact that the universe was evolved from nothing. Some- 
thing must be eternal, and that something is the first cause of 
all created things. What was that first something? Was it 
mind or matter ? If we say matter, then we must account for 
the production of life. Professor Huxley, notwithstanding his 
evolution theories, says, "The present state of knowledge fur- 
nishes us with no link between the living and not living." 
Tyndall is compelled to say, "I affirm that no shred of trust- 
worthy experimental testimony exists to prove that life in our 
day has ever appeared independently of antecedent life." 
Henry Drummond, in his "Natural Law in the Spiritual 
World," says, "It is now recognized on every hand that life can 



18 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

only come from the touch of life." This is no far-fetched dec- 
laration. It is in perfect harmony with the manner in which we 
see everything around us deriving existence. Back of all laws 
and forces; back of all animal and vegetable life; back of 
everything else we must find life. The eternal God is that life. 
Back of this we cannot go. Aside from this we can give no in- 
telligent account of the origin of matter, nor of the existence of 
life. We search in vain for an adequate cause to produce either 
matter or life outside of this sublime declaration, "In the begin- 
ning God created the heaven and the earth, and all that in them 
is, visible and invisible ; and he sustains, protects, and governs 
these with gracious regard for the welfare of man, to the glory 
of his name." Here is solid rock, upon which we may stand 
secure. 

Arguments in proof of the existence of God may be drawn 
from the Scriptures: (1) The exact fulfillment of prophecies. 
An astronomer may predict an eclipse of the sun or moon 
many years in advance of its occurrence, but this differs widely 
from prophecy. The time of an eclipse is based on the most 
certain data — fixed laws. It would be a miracle if it did not 
occur at the exact time predicted. ^Not so with prophecy. It 
has no data — no fixed law by which it is or can be determined. 
^None but an infinite mind can foretell future events which are 
contingent upon human agency. (2) Miracles, like prophecy, 
are proofs conclusive of supernatural power. A miracle is not 
performed by the operation of any fixed law, but in a manner 
different from the regular method of providence, by the power 
of God himself. (3) Unity of the Holy Scriptures. The Bible 
contains sixty-six books, written by about forty different per- 
sons, during a period of sixteen hundred years, "yet one aim, 
without consultation or preconcert on the part of the writers, 
pervades the Scriptures from beginning to end. Unity under 
such peculiar circumstances would be impossible except on the 



THE EXISTENCE OF GOD 19 

supposition of one dictating Author using inspired men as his 
amanuenses ; therefore, this Book of books can be accounted for 
only by assuming the existence of God as a sufficient cause." 
(4) The remarkable preservation of the Scriptures through so 
many ages is evidence of the supervision of a wise and gracious 
Providence. (5) The complete adaptation of the sacred Scrip- 
tures to the needs and wants of mankind is a standing proof that 
the author is divine. No class of uninspired men, scattered 
through sixteen centuries, could write such a book. But these 
facts will be more fully considered in connection with the evi- 
dences of Christianity. 

A creation without a Creator ; a design without a Designer ; 
a stupendous universe without a God, are thoughts which fill the 
heart with sadness and gloom. Launched from some unknown 
shore, sailing amid storms and breakers, we know not whither, 
brings but poor comfort to voyagers. The human mind is in 
endless protest against all theories and speculations which would 
divorce God from the universe. But turning from these cold 
and cheerless thoughts, how delightful and comforting to look 
up with confidence and say, "Our Father, which art in heaven." 
Gurnall says, "This little word 'Father,' lisped by faith in 
prayer, exceeds the eloquence of Demosthenes, Cicero, and all 
the famous speakers in the world." "Our Father," says Dr. 
Barrows, "is the ultimate address of humanity to God. All 
knowledge which the sons of men shall gather in the cycled times 
cannot add to it a single letter or change to sweeter melody its 
enchanting syllables." 

All who believe in the existence of God, Father Almighty, 
and in the doctrine of a universal providence, as revealed in 
the sacred Scriptures and manifest in the realm of nature have 
solid rock upon which to stand, while atheism, agnosticism, 
and all forms of skepticism leave us in mid-ocean without chart 
or compass, Launched from some unknown shore and destined 



20 CHRISTIAN THEOLO GY 

we know not where, brings neither comfort nor satisfaction to 
that something within which we call consciousness. An old 
Greek being asked how he did, replied, "I am plodding on 
toward immortality." Such is the intuitive aspiration of every 
Soul not benumbed and crushed by the stubbornness of a de- 
praved will. To a mind unbiased and unimpaired by the de- 
ceitfulness of sin, the idea of existence is desirable. Who wants 
to cease to be? Every impulse of the human soul protests 
against the theory of non-existence. But if there be no God, 
nothing better than annihilation awaits us. Who wants "to 
sleep — perchance to dream," forever and ever % 



CHAPTER III. 

THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD. 

By the attributes of God we are to understand the several 
qualities and perfections of the divine nature. Our knowledge 
of the divine essence is necessarily very limited. All we can 
know of his perfection we learn from what he has been pleased 
to reveal to us in nature and in his Word. And even with this 
help we can only know in part. God is incomprehensibly and 
incomparably great. 

The attributes of God have been distinguished into negative 
and positive, absolute and relative, natural and moral, com- 
municable and incommunicable, internal and external. A more 
recent classification places the divine perfections in the follow- 
ing order : primary, essential, natural, moral, and consummate. 
All these divisions may be quite clear and satisfactory in the 
minds of those who made them, but to most readers they will 
appear somewhat arbitrary and unnecessary. 

Theologians differ so widely in their classifications of the at- 
tributes that we are left in doubt as to which or whether either is 
correct. Dr. Hodge accepts the classification as given in the 
Westminster Catechism. He does not commend it as the very 
best, but as having some advantages over others, especially in 
its simplicity. Dr. Pope gives a classification differing some- 
what from the one Dr. Hodge accepts. Dr. Cocker gives a classi- 
fication different from Dr. Pope. Dr. Miley objects to all three, 
and divides into what he calls predicables and attributes. He 
thinks that some of the perfections of the divine nature are 
called attributes when in fact they are predicables, such as spir- 
ituality, eternity, and immutability. But whether we call them 

21 



22 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

predicables or attributes, they all inhere in each other, and 
neither is before the other. All the perfections of the Almighty 
are eternal, so that neither proceeds from the other. 

There rises above all arbitrary classifications of his attributes 
this sublime truth, "The eternal God is one God," and all his 
perfections, whether they be named predicables or attributes, 
inhere in this one divine being, and operate in the most perfect 
harmony with each other. When, therefore, we speak of the 
attributes separately, we are not to be understood as teaching 
that the divine nature is divided into separate parts, but that 
all inhere in one essence. We should seek to know as much of 
God as we can, without going into the realm of doubt or specula- 
tion. One fact concerning God is worth more to the human soul 
than a thousand speculative theories. 

In this brief review of the perfections of the Almighty, we 
can do little more than name and define the attributes as we find 
them set forth here and there in the sacred Scriptures : 

1. Unity. This denotes that there is but one God — one self- 
existent being. A firm belief in the unity of God is essential 
to all true and acceptable worship. To suppose two or more 
eternal, self-existent, separate, and independent beings would 
not only be absurd, but virtually destroy all reverence and devo- 
tion in worship. The Scriptures are very explicit on this point. 
"Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord" (Deut. 6:4). 
"The Lord he is God; there is none else beside him" (Deut. 4: 
35). "There is no God else beside me . . . I am God, and there 
is none else" (Isa. 45:21, 22). "There is no God but one" 
(I. Cor. 8:4). "One God and Father of all" (Eph. 4:6). 
"Yet to us there is one God" (I. Cor. 8:6). When we reject 
the doctrine of the divine unity, we are in danger of falling into 
the fatal error of the heathen, who "changed the glory of the 
uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, 
and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." 



THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD 23 

2. Eternity. God alone is eternal. Three facts are to be 
considered : (1) God is ; (2) God ever has been ; (3) God ever 
will be. These facts fix in the mind that there is with God a 
mode of being entirely different from our own ; that all that is, 
or has been, or will be, is a part of his serene and ever-present 
consciousness ; that God is to what we call time that which he is 
to space; that he who inhabits immensity also and equally in- 
habits eternity. With him there is no past, no future. He 
a dwelleth in an eternal now." But do the Scriptures, the in- 
spired word of God, affirm this doctrine ? Let God by his own 
spirit speak to us. "And thy years shall have no end" (Ps. 
102 : 27). "Even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God" 
(Ps. 90: 2). "Whose goings forth are from of old, from ever- 
lasting" (Micah 5:2). "The eternal God is thy dwelling place, 
and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut. 33:27). 
"Who only hath immortality" (I. Tim. 6 : 16). "Now unto the 
Xing eternal, incorruptible, invisible, the only God, be honour 
and glory for ever and ever. Amen" (I. Tim. 1: 17). "Hast 
thou not known \ hast thou not heard \ the everlasting God, the 
Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither 
is weary" (Isa. 40:28). "For thus saith the high and lofty 
One that inhabiteth eternity'' (Isa. 57: 15). 

God alone is eternal. In vain we may try to grasp the tre- 
mendous thought — He always was. Our very thought tires 
-and faints in its effort to comprehend its vastness. We can do 
no better than to unite with the pious psalmist and reverently 
exclaim, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to 
•everlasting." 

3. Spirituality. "God is a Spirit" (John 4:24)'. "Now 
the Lord is that Spirit" (II. Cor. 3: 17). However incompre- 
hensible to us the spirituality of God may be, it is nevertheless 
an essential attribute of the divine essence. We can analyze 
material things, but cannot analyze pure spirit. The eternal 



24 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

existence of an infinite, personal spirit is the only theory of 
religious belief adapted to the condition of man as an account- 
able but dependent moral agent. We may form some concep- 
tion of the Spirit, but we cannot comprehend it. "God is a 
Spirit," without body or parts; invisible, indivisible, but a 
real essence. Watson says: "He is spirit, not body; mind, 
not matter. He is pure spirit, unconnected even with bodily 
form or organs." God being a spirit, we can understand why 
all acceptable worship must be spiritual. Paul understood the 
nature of true worship when he said, "I will pray with the 
spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also : I will sing 
with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." 
Jesus said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must 
worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4 : 24). "This," says 
a learned theologian, "is one of the first, the greatest, the most 
sublime, and necessary truths in the compass of nature ! There 
is one God, the cause of all things, the fountain of all perfec- 
tion, without parts or dimensions, for he is eternal, filling the 
heavens and the earth, pervading, governing, and upholding all 
things, for he is an infinite spirit/' 

4. Omniscience. God is infinite in knowledge. "But all 
things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with 
whom we have to do" (Heb. 4 : 13). "Saith the Lord, who mak- 
eth these things known from the beginning of the world" (Acts 
15: 18). "For the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understand- 
eth all the imaginations of the thoughts" (I. Chr. 28:9). 
"Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; his understanding 
is infinite" (Ps. 147: 5). "Even the darkness hideth not from 
thee, but the night shineth as the day : the darkness and the light 
are both alike to thee" (Ps. 139 : 12). "O the depth of the riches 
both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God ! how unsearch- 
able are his judgements and his ways past tracing out" (Eom. 
11T33). The Scriptures abound with references to the om- 



TEE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD &5 

niscience of the Almighty. The whole realm of nature, with 
its ten thousand contrivances and adaptations, unites in pro- 
claiming the wisdom and knowledge of God. To a Christian 
this is a most pleasing reflection, but to the unsaved it is an 
alarming thought. The psalmist was overwhelmed with the 
thought when he said, "Thou knowest my downsitting and mine 
uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. . . . For 
there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest 
it altogether. . . . Such knowledge is too wonderful for 
me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it" (Ps. 139 : 2-6). 

We must discriminate between the power to know and knowl- 
edge itself. They do not mutually imply each other. God's 
knowledge is absolute. It can neither be increased nor dimin- 
ished. It is eternally perfect. The past and future are as 
clearly seen and as fully known to him as the present. All 
things in heaven, in the earth, and in all the worlds are naked 
and opened unto him. "The darkness and light are both alike 
unto him," This knowledge belongs to God alone, and cannot 
be communicated to any creature. God alone is all-wise. "He 
knows all, and all things, independently, distinctly, infallibly, 
and eternally." 

5. Omnipresence. God is a spirit, and is therefore essen- 
tially present everywhere. The universal presence of God is 
clearly set forth in the Holy Scriptures, as may be seen from 
the following passage, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit ? or 
whither shall I flee from thy presence ? If I ascend up into 
heaven thou art there : if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou 
art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the 
uttermost parts of the sea ; even there shall thy hand lead me, 
and thy right hand shall hold me" (Ps. 139 : 7-10). "The eyes 
of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch upon the evil and 
the good" (Prov. 15:3). "Can any hide himself in secret 
places that I shall not see him ? saith the Lord. Do not I fill 



26 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

heaven and earth ? saith the Lord" ( Jer. 23 : 24). "The fulness 
of him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1: 23). "Thou art a God 
that seest" (Gen. 16 : 13). "And lo, I am with you alway, even 
unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28 : 20). 

The thought that God is everywhere present, beholding the 
evil and the good, ought to fill all hearts with awe and holy fear. 
"Thou God seest me." This is a solemn and yet glorious truth. 
To the wicked it is a fearful truth ; but to all sincere Christians 
it is a delightful truth. In prayer, afflictions, troubles, and 
temptations, the Christian may be comforted in the thought that 
his Heavenly Father sees and knows all things — where he is, 
what he is, and what he needs. A universal presence is essential 
to the divine character. Without it he would not be God, and 
therefore could not govern the universe. "At every step," says 
Mr. Gilfillan, "we feel ourselves God-inclosed, God-filled, and 
God-breathing men ; with a spiritual presence lowering or smil- 
ing on us from the sky, sounding in wild tempest, or creeping 
in phonic stillness across the surface of the earth; and if we 
turn within, lo! it is there also — an 'eye' hung in the central 
darkness of our own hearts." 

6. Omnipotence. This attribute is essential to the very na- 
ture of God. If he were not almighty, he would not be perfect 
and independent. His power is incomparable and incompre- 
hensibly great. "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard 
this; that power belongeth unto God" (Ps. 62: 11). "But the 
thunder of his power who can understand?" (Job 26:14.) 
"He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established 
the world by his wisdom . . . when he uttereth his 
voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he caus- 
eth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he 
maketh lightnings for the rain, and bringeth forth the wind 
out of his treasuries" (Jer. 10: 12, 13). "And God said unto 
him, I am God Almighty" (Gen. 35: 11). "I appeared unto 



TEE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD 27 

Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty" (Ex. 
6:3). "God, even God, the Lord, hath spoken" (Ps. 50:1). 
"Let all the earth fear the Lord : let all the inhabitants of tha 
world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done ; he 
commanded, and it stood fast" (Ps. 33 : 8, 9). "For the Lord 
our God, the Almighty, reigneth" (Kev. 19: 6). 

The Scriptures throughout abound with declarations setting 
forth the infinite power of God. But because he is all-powerful, 
we are not thence to conclude that he will exercise that power 
so as to imply a contradiction in itself, or that will in any way 
conflict with any other of his attributes. 

This power, wisdom, justice, mercy, and goodness are all 
infinite, and move in the most perfect harmony with each other. 
"Whatsoever the Lord pleased that did he in heaven, and in 
earth, in the seas, and all deep places." Defended and sheltered 
by a being of such matchless power, what need those that put 
their trust in him fear ? "God is our refuge and strength, a very 
present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the 
earth do change, and though the mountains be moved in the 
heart of the seas" (Ps. 46 : 1, 2). "For this God is our God for 
ever and ever" (Ps. 48 : 14). 

7. Immutability. "This is a perfection," says Dr. Blair, 
"which perhaps more than any other distinguishes the divine 
nature from the human, gives complete energy to all its attri- 
butes, and entitles it to the highest adoration. From hence are 
derived the regular order of nature and the steadfastness of the 
universe." God is immutable in his essence, in all his attri- 
butes, in his purposes, in his promises, and threatenings. What 
he now is he always was, and always will be, eternally the same. 
In proof of this fundamental truth we cite the following texts : 
"For I the Lord change not" (Mai. 3:6). "But thou art the 
same, and thy years shall have no end" (Ps. 102: 27). "But 
thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail" (Heb. 1: 12). 



28 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

"Every good gift and every perfect boon is from above, coming 
down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, 
neither shadow that is cast by turning" (Jas. 1: 17). "That 
by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to 
lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for 
refuge to lay hold of the hope before us" (Heb. 6: 18). The 
two immutable things are the oath and promise of God. These 
rest upon his immutability. If he is not immutable, then the 
oath and promise are not immutable. Every attribute of the 
divine one is immutable. So far as we know, all material 
things change. But God is now what he always was, and always 
will be — "the everlasting God." 

Trusting in the immutability of God, those who have fled to- 
him for refuge have a strong consolation. Every promise is as 
immutable as himself. Heaven and earth may pass away, but 
the word of the Lord shall endure forever. The "I AM" that 
spoke to Moses out of the burning bush is the "I AM" of the 
universe to-day. 

8. Holiness, This attribute is abundantly set forth in the 
Holy Scriptures. "God is originally holy; he is so of and in 
himself; and the author and promoter of holiness among his 
creatures." This is an essential attribute of the divine essence,, 
and is infinite, immutable, and eternal. The holiness of God 
is both negative and positive, for it not only implies the absence 
of all evil, but the presence of "all possible, positive, operative 
goodness." 

Relative holiness may be found in men and angels, while 
absolute holiness belongs to God alone ; it inheres in his nature. 
Only a few texts will be necessary to prove the absolute holiness 
of God. "Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and 
that canst not look on perverseness" (Hab. 1: 13). "And the 
stars are not pure in his sight" (Job 25 : 5). "Ye shall be holy ; 
for I am holy" (I. Pet. 1: 16). "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord 



THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD 29 

of hosts" (Isa. 6:3). "And they have no rest day and night, 
saying, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty" (Rev. 
4:8). "Unto thee will I sing praises with the harp, O thou 
Holy One of Israel" (Ps. 71: 22). "The Lord is righteous in 
all his ways, and gracious in all his works" (Ps. 145:17). 
Man is called upon to be holy, but how can he be, since he is 
sinful and unholy, and "the holiness of God alone would never 
recall him." But through the intervention of atonement, the 
way has been made possible. The atonement at once protects 
divine holiness and restores it to man. If it were not possible 
for man to be relatively holy, God would not require it. "Be 
ye holy ; for I am holy," is the divine requirement. 

9. Justice. In strictness this perfection of the divine na- 
ture might be included under the head of holiness. The one 
necessarily includes the other. "The justice of God is that per- 
fection of the divine nature whence arises the absolute rectitude 
of his moral government." Like every other perfection of the 
divine nature, it is absolute and eternal. Whether viewed 
as judge or legislator, God is eternally just. "The Rock, his 
work is perfect ; for all his ways are judgement : a God of faith- 
fulness and without iniquity just and right is he" (Deut. 32 : 4). 
"Righteousness and judgement are the foundation of thy throne : 
mercy and truth go before thy face" (Ps. 89 : 14). "And there 
is no God else beside me; a just God and a saviour" (Isa. 45: 
21). "The Lord in the midst of her is righteous; he will not 
do iniquity" (Zeph. 3:5). "The judgements of the Lord are 
true and righteous altogether" (Ps. 19: 9). "Who will render 
to every man according to his works" (Rom. 2:6). "And they 
sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the 
Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord God, 
the Almighty; righteous and true are thy ways, thou King of 
the ages" (Rev. 15:3). 

10. Truth. This perfection of the divine nature, like jus- 



30 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

tice, might be considered as one specific form in which holiness 
is manifest. Truth, like holiness, inheres in the very nature 
of the supreme being. The one cannot exist without the other. 
We present them separately, however, because we may thereby 
see more of the divine nature. The more we know of God, the 
more we will see in him to fear, love, and obey. 

All the attributes and perfections of God inhere in each other. 
We may think and speak of them as distinct, but not as separate 
and apart from each other. If God had said, <e I am that I am" 
and made no further disclosure of himself to man, the whole 
race, doubtless, would this day be wandering in the mazes of 
darkness and superstition. But it pleased the Almighty Father 
to reveal himself in nature and in his Word, so that we can form 
some conception of his perfections. Turning to the Scriptures 
we find passages like the following: "And plenteous in mercy 
and truth" (Ex. 34:6). "Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, 
thou God of truth" (Ps. 31 : 5). "The truth of the Lord endur- 
eth for ever" (Ps. 117 : 2). "That by two immutable things, in 
which it is impossible for God to lie" (Heb. 6: 18). "Yea, let 
God be found true, but every man a liar" (Horn. 3:4). "The 
sum of thy word is truth" (Ps. 119: 160). "Which keepeth 
truth for ever" (Ps. 146 : 6). "A God of faithfulness and with- 
out iniquity" (Deut. 32: 4). Veracity and faithfulness belong 
to God. He is the embodiment of all truth. It is impossible for 
God to lie. He is the fountain of all truth. What he has said 
is true. What he has promised will be fulfilled. Here is solid 
rock, upon which we may build for eternity. "God is not a man, 
that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should re- 
pent : hath he said, and shall he not do it ? Or hath he spoken, 
and shall he not make it good ?" (Num. 23 : 19.) Men never 
make truth ; they only recognize it. Truth is so great a perfec- 
tion that Pythagoras was led to say that if "God were to render 



THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD 31 

himself visible to men, he would choose light for his body and 
truth for his soul." 

11. Goodness, Mercy, Love, Benevolence, Long-suffering. 
We group these perfections of the divine nature together be- 
cause in strictness of analysis they all inhere in the attribute of 
goodness. But for the goodness of God, we should know nothing 
about his mercy, love, benevolence, and long-suffering. A few 
plain texts from God's Word will assist us in understanding 
something of the goodness of God. "O give thanks unto the 
Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever" (Ps. 
106 : 1). "And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, 
The Lord, the Lord, a God full of compassion and gracious, slow 
to anger, and plenteous in mercy and truth" (Ex. 34 : 6). "For 
how great is his goodness" (Zech. 9:17). "Goodness," says 
Dr. Gill, "is essential to God, without which he would not be 
God." God is infinitely, immutably, and eternally good. Good- 
ness belongs to God; he only is absolutely good. Men and 
angels may be good, but only in a relative sense. God is abso- 
lutely and eternally good. 

There is, and of necessity must always be, the most complete 
and perfect harmony in all the attributes. God is bound by the 
immutability of his own perfections, so that he cannot perform a 
single act by the exercise of any one of his attributes or perfec- 
tions that will either directly or indirectly conflict with any 
other of his attributes or perfections. God is one God, of infi- 
nite perfections. Unity, Spirituality, Eternity, Omniscience, 
Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Independence, Immutability, 
Holiness, Truth, Justice, and Goodness. 

In studying the divine attributes, we are not to think of them 
as merely passive perfections inhering in the divine nature; 
they are ever and eternally active, especially those which relate 
to his moral government. Who can seriously contemplate all 
these attributes inhering in one person, and inhering in each 



32 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

other, and not be profoundly impressed with a sense of his great- 
ness '? "Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised" (Ps. 48 : 
1). "For great is the Lord, and highly to be praised: he is 
to be feared above all gods" (Ps. 96:4). Great and incompre- 
hensible as God is, the devout Christian, by simple faith, may 
look up and say, "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be 
thy name," and in the depths of his soul feel that "this God is, 
our God for ever and ever." No sight on earth is more sublime 
than to see poor, frail, erring man on his knees worshiping this 
great and only true God. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 

Is Jesus Christ truly and properly God? This is a far- 
reaching and profound question. The whole plan of salvation 
hinges upon it. It is not a question to be settled by any process 
of abstract reasoning, nor is it enough to say that it has been 
the faith of the church from the beginning. We must go back 
of all creeds and confessions; back of all speculative theories. 
The Word of God alone must settle this question. In the realm 
of nature we find many evidences of a divine, supernatural First 
Cause. But the divinity of Jesus Christ is a matter of revela- 
tion, and must be settled by a direct appeal to the Scriptures. 
In appealing to the Scriptures it is not necessary, nor would it 
be possible in one short chapter, to examine all the passages bear- 
ing on this subject. Dr. Miley says, "A summary grouping and 
application of Scripture proofs may give the argument in a con- 
clusive form, and with a strength against which the fallacies of 
logic and the perversions of exegesis are powerless." 

If Jesus Christ is divine — if he is very God, — the Scriptures 
must affirm it. It is not to be overlooked that the sacred writers 
in speaking of him spake by inspiration, and could not therefore 
be mistaken. The theology of the Holy Scriptures is positive. 
Conclusions are not reached by long-drawn arguments, but by 
affirmations. Volumes have been written on the subject of 
creation, but Moses, the first of the sacred writers, without any 
process of reasoning, simply affirms, "In the beginning God 
created the heaven and the earth." In like manner all funda- 
mental truths are stated. Concerning Jesus Christ the sacred 
writers make statements which cannot by any fair interpreta- 



34 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

tion be made to mean anything less than that he is truly and 
properly God. We will therefore turn to the Scriptures for in- 
struction on this vital question. 

I. Divine titles are given to Christ which belong to no being 
in the universe but God. "Thy throne, O God, is for ever 
and ever" (Ps. 45:6; Heb. 1:8). Here the title "God" is 
ascribed to Christ, first by the psalmist, and then by the Apostle 
Paul. Did these inspired men know of whom they were writ- 
ing ? Would they have ascribed to him this highest title if they 
knew that it did not belong to him ? "For unto us a child is born,, 
unto us a son is given ; and the government shall be upon his 
shoulder : and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor^ 
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). 
This, according to the context, is spoken concerning Christ. It 
could not reasonably be explained to refer to any other person. 
Observe that he is not only called God, but the "Mighty God' y 
and "Everlasting Father." Now, as there is no being in the 
universe entitled to these names but God himself, and inasmuch 
as they are by inspiration ascribed to Jesus, we can reach but 
one conclusion, which is, that Jesus Christ is truly and prop- 
erly God. 

Turning to Isa. 45 : 22, we read, "Look unto me, and be ye 
saved, all the ends of the earth : for I am God, and there is none 
else." This passage relates to the gospel times, and is spoken 
concerning Jesus Christ. All Christians agree that Christ, and 
he only, is the Saviour of the world. But who and what is he ?' 
He says, "I am God, and there is none else." 

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God r 
and the Word was God" (John 1:1). This is a plain and di- 
rect statement concerning Jesus Christ, here called the Word,, 
which Word, John says, was in the beginning and was God. 
This same apostle, in his first epistle (5: 21), says of Christ, 
"This is the true God, and eternal life." There is but one true 



THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 35 

God, and John says that Jesus Christ is this true God. There- 
fore, Jesus Christ is truly and properly God. iNo one on earth 
knew more about Jesus Christ than John. He said that he had 
seen him, heard him, touched him, and looked upon him, and 
after this personal acquaintance with him, he affirms that he is 
the true God. 

"And they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being 
interpreted, God with us" (Matt. 1:23). "Whose are the 
fathers, and of whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is 
over all. God blessed for ever. Amen" (Rom. 9:5). "And 
without controversy great is the mystery of godliness ; He who 
was manifested in the flesh" (I. Tim. 3 : 16). "Looking for the 
blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and 
Saviour Jesus Christ" (Tit. 2 : 13, 14). 

In the passages thus far given we have the "Mighty God/* the 
"Everlasting Father/' the "True God/' "God with us/' "God 
over all/' "God manifest in the flesh/' and "Great God," all 
ascribed to Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ is not truly and prop- 
erly God, why did the sacred writers ascribe to him a name that 
belongs to no being in the universe but God ? In these texts 
the divinity of Christ is declared by the apostles and asserted 
by Christ himself. Therefore, we conclude that Jesus Christ is 
God. 

II. There are attributes ascribed to Jesus Christ which be- 
long to God, and to him alone. How are we to account for this 
if Jesus Christ is not God ? Much is said about good men, such 
as Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, and Isaiah, but to none of 
them are ascribed titles and attributes such as are ascribed to 
Jesus Christ. 

1. Immutability. "But thou art the same, and thy years 
shall not fail" (Heb. 1: 12). "Jesus Christ is the same yester- 
day and to-day, yea and for ever" (Heb. 13 : 8). Who but God 
is immutable ? 



36 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

It has ever been the faith of the church that immutability 
belongs to God, and to him only. Angels and men and all 
created things are mutable. The eternal God only is immutable. 
The sacred writers, guided by the spirit of inspiration, ascribe 
this attribute to Jesus Christ. Our conclusion, then, is, and 
of necessity must be, that Jesus Christ is the very eternal God. 

2. Eternity. The sacred writers did ascribe this attribute 
to Jesus Christ, and he claimed it for himself. He is by inspira- 
tion the "Everlasting Father' (Isa. 9:6). Dr. Clarke and other 
critics render it, "Father of the everlasting ages" or "Father of 
eternity" Concerning himself he says, "Before Abraham was, 
I am." When he appeared to John on Patmos he said, "I am 
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, 
which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty" 
(Rev. 1:8). Furthermore, he says, "I am the root and the off- 
spring of David" (Eev. 22: 16). 

Both the divinity and humanity of Christ are affirmed in this 
passage. He was "the root" of David, which not only means 
that he was before David, but that he was the God of David. 
He was "the offspring of David," or David's son according to 
the flesh. 

These passages taken together prove conclusively that Jesus 
Christ is eternal, and if he is eternal, he must be God. 

3. Omnipotence. By this is meant almighty power. There 
cannot be two independent, self-existent, separate, and distinct 
beings of almighty power in the universe. This is not, and 
never was the belief of the Christian church. One God over all 
blessed forever more, is the faith of the church to-day. If Jesus 
Christ is omnipotent, he must be that one Eternal God. This 
question, like all other questions of Christian doctrine, must be 
settled by a direct appeal to the Holy Scriptures. "In him 
[Christ] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." If 
"all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" dwelt in him, that would 



TEE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 37 

include all the perfections of the Almighty, of which omnipo- 
tence is one. He is called the "Mighty God" (Isa. 9:6), and 
"the Almighty" (Rev. 1:8). Furthermore, it is affirmed, 
"All things were made by him ; and without him was not any 
thing made that was made" (John 1:3). "For in him were all 
things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible 
and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or princi- 
palities or powers; all things have been created through him, 
and unto him ; and he is before all things, and in him all things 
consist" (Col. 1:16, 17). Turning to Genesis 1:1, we read, 
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." The 
only way to harmonize Moses and Paul is to say that Jesus 
Christ is God. Our Lord said, "All authority hath been given 
unto me in heaven and on earth" (Matt. 28 : 18). Take the sum 
of these passages — the "Mighty God'' the "Almighty'/ Creator 
of all things, before all things, possessing all power in heaven 
and earth, — and you have words that can mean nothing less 
than that Jesus Christ is omnipotent, and if he is omnipotent, 
then he must be God. 

4. Omnipresence. God alone is omnipresent. But the 
Scriptures teach that Jesus Christ possesses this attribute. In 
Heb. 1:3, it is said that he upholdeth "all things by the word 
of his power." In Col. 1 : 17, we read, "By him all things 
consist." To uphold and support all things requires a uni- 
versal presence. Jesus Christ gave two promises which set- 
tle the matter of his omnipresence. "For where two or three 
are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of 
them" (Matt. 18: 20). This promise includes all time and all 
places. If Jesus Christ is not omnipresent, he cannot fulfill 
this promise. Again he says, "Lo, I am with you alway, even 
unto the end of the world." Devout men of God ever since this 
promise was made have claimed it everywhere and all the time. 
But what right has any man to claim this promise unless he 



38 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

admits that Christ is omnipresent \ Dr. Miley says, "Only an 
omnipresent being — omnipresent with infinite efficiencies of a 
personal agency — could truthfully assert such facts and give 
such promises." 

5. Omniscience. "And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, 
Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts ?" (Matt. 9:4.) "And 
he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things ; thou knowest 
that I love thee" (John 21: 17). "Now know we that thou 
knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask 
thee" (John 16: 30). "In whom are all the treasures of wis- 
dom and knowledge hidden" ( Col. 2:3). Now, if Jesus Christ 
knoweth all things, even the thoughts of the heart, and if all the 
treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in him, he must be 
omniscient, and if he is omniscient he must be truly and prop- 
erly God. 

III. The works ascribed to Christ 'prove his divinity. 

1. Creation. Moses opens up the history of the world by 
the plain statement that "In the beginning God created the 
heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). All Christians in all the 
ages accept this statement as true. Now to prove that Jesus is 
God, it is only necessary to show from the Scriptures that he 
created and sustains all things. "In the beginning was the 
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The 
same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by 
him; and without him was not anything made that hath been 
made" (John 1:1-3). The facts set forth in this scripture are 
(1) that the Word (Logos) was in the beginning. (2) This 
Word was God. (3) This Word made all things.- (4) The 
Word was made flesh. (5) This Word was God manifest in 
the flesh. 

"Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every 
creature : for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, 
aid that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be 



TEE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 39 

thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things 
were created by him, and for him : and he is before all things, 
and by him all things consist" (Col. 1 : 15-17). On this passage 
Dr. Ralston says, "That if by the eternal God we understand 
that being who made all things, then Jesus Christ is the eternal 
God, for 'by him were all things created/ Again, if by the 
eternal God we understand that being who existed prior to all 
other beings, then Jesus Christ is the eternal God, for he is 'be- 
fore all things.' Again, if by the eternal God we understand 
that being who sustains all things in being, then Jesus Christ 
is the eternal God ; for 'by him all things consist.' Once more, 
if by the eternal God we understand that being for whom all 
things were made, then Jesus Christ is the eternal God, for 'all 
things were made by him and for him.' " If the sacred writers 
did not intend to teach that Jesus Christ is truly and properly 
God, they were certainly very unfortunate in the use of terms. 
They do say that "all things were made by him, and for him/' 
that "by him all things consist," and that he upholds "all things 
by the word of his power." But it may be claimed that the 
power exercised by Christ was only a delegated power. This 
cannot be true for the following reasons: (1) If Christ were 
only a delegate, he could not act for himself, but for another. 
But Christ created all things for himself. (2) To create all 
things required almighty power. Now if there were delegated 
to Christ this power, then there were two beings of equal power, 
or God ceased to be God during the time that Christ exercised 
this attribute. But Christ not only had power to create, but 
to uphold as well, "By him all things consist." He upholds "all 
things by the word of his power." 

2. The forgiveness of sin. ~No being in the universe can 
pardon sin but God. Sin is the transgression of his law. In 
Ps. 51:4, we read, "Against thee, thee only ; have I sinned." 
God is the offended, and man the offender. Turning to Ex. 34 : 



40 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

6, 7, it is recorded that when the Lord passed by Moses he pro- 
claimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God full of compassion and 
gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy and truth ; keep- 
ing mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression 
and sin" Here it is declared that the Lord God forgiveth 
iniquity, transgression, and sin. Now turn to the New Testa- 
ment. "But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power 
on earth to forgive sins" (Matt. 9:6). "Even as the Lord for- 
gave you, so also do ye" (Col. 3 : 13). "Him did God exalt with 
his right hand to he a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repent- 
ance to Israel, and remission of sins" (Acts 5 : 31). From these 
passages it will be seen that the pardon of sin is a work per- 
formed by Christ. If Jesus Christ were not God, he could not 
forgive sin. When Jesus said to the man who was sick with the 
palsy, "Thy sins be forgiven thee," the scribes murmured within 
themselves. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to the sick man, 
"Arise, ... go unto thy house." He gave them the full- 
est proof of his power to forgive sins : ( 1 ) By telling them what 
was in their hearts, and (2) by curing the man of his bodily ail- 
ments. "Whether," said he, "is easier, to say, Thy sins be for- 
given thee ; or to say, Arise, and walk ? But that ye may know 
that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then 
saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go 
unto thine house." When Jesus pronounced the man's sins for- 
given the scribes and Pharisees charged him with blasphemy. 
"Who," said they, "can forgive sins, but God alone ?" In this 
they affirmed a great truth. Thus far they had no evidence of 
his power to forgive sins, only that he had said to the man, "Thy 
sins be forgiven thee." But this they could not test by any of 
their senses. But Jesus gave them an ocular demonstration of 
his power which they could test by sight and could not gainsay, 
when he bade the man arise and go unto his own house. When 
the people saw what was done, they accepted it as proof of his 



THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 41 

power not only to heal disease, but to forgive sins. Both must 
stand or fall together. The people in mass that saw "glorified 
God." 

3. The final judgment. "For we shall all stand before the 
judgement-seat of God. For it is written, As I live, saith the 
Lord, to me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess 
to God" (Kom. 14 : 10, 11). "I charge thee in the sight of God, 
and of Christ Jesus, who shall judge the quick and the dead, and 
by his appearing and his kingdom" (II. Tim. 4:1). From 
these texts it is clearly taught that Jesus Christ is to judge the 
world. "But he hath given all judgement unto the Son" (John 
5:22). But the Scriptures emphatically declare that God is 
to judge the world. "To the general assembly and church of 
the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge 
of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect" (Heb. 12 : 
23). "But know thou, that for all these things God will bring 
thee into judgement" (Eccl. 11:9). "For God shall bring every 
work into judgement" (Eccl. 12: 14). If Jesus Christ is not 
truly and properly God, how are we to interpret these Scrip- 
tures ? Holy men, moved by the Holy Spirit, say that God is to 
judge the world. Holy men, moved by the same Holy Spirit, 
declare that Jesus Christ is to judge the world. There is no 
way to harmonize these and many other similar passages only to 
accept the great truth that Jesus Christ is very God. Any other 
conclusion challenges the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. 

4. Jesus Christ is the object of worship. To worship any 
being other than God is idolatry. Jesus said, "Thou shalt wor- 
ship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Matt. 4 : 
10). "See thou do it not: . . . worship God" (Rev. 19: 
10). "So serve I the God of our fathers" (Acts 24: 14). The 
Holy Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, teach, both by pre- 
cept and example, that God alone is to be worshiped by all intel- 
ligences, whether they be men or angels, in heaven or in the 



42 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

earth. With this fact fixed in the mind, turn and read the fol- 
lowing passages : "And it came to pass, while he blessed them, 
he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they 
worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy" 
(Luke 24: 51, 52). "And behold, there came to him a leper 
and worshipped him" (Matt. 14: 33). "And ran to bring his 
disciples word. And behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. 
And they came and took hold of his feet, and worshipped him" 
(Matt. 28 : 5, 9). The disciples, while Jesus was yet with them 
worshiped him, and he did not forbid them. In Rev. 5 : 11-13, 
we are informed that the angels and all the heavenly host wor- 
ship him. The voice from heaven was, "Let all the angels of 
God worship him," and they did, and do worship him. All 
honor and power and glory are ascribed to him. 

The highest order of worship, both in heaven and in earth, 
belongs to Jesus Christ — not to the human form of Christ, but 
to that divine nature that dwelt in him. It is not the "man 
Jesus Christ" that men and angels worship, but the divine 
Christ — the "Almighty God" that was manifest in the flesh. 

5. Christ claimed equality with the Father. No created 
being ever claimed equality with God. "For this cause there- 
fore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only 
brake the sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making 
himself equal with God" (John 5:18). "Who being in the 
form of God counted it not a prize to be on an equality with 
God" (Phil. 2:6). "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of 
the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). "For it was the good pleas- 
ure of the Father that in him should all the fulness dwell" (Col. 
1:19). "Who being the effulgence of his glory, and the 
very image of his substance" (Heb. 1:3). "Who is the image 
of the invisible God" (Col. 1: 15). In these passages we are 
taught, (1) that Christ is equal with God. In no proper sense 
can he be equal with God unless he is divine in nature. (2) The 
Godhead is translated from the word eeSrn which signi- 






TEE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 43 

fies deity, or divine nature. So then, all the fullness of deity, 
or the divine nature, dwelt in him. (3) Christ is not only the 
image, but the express image of the invisible God, and the 
brightness of his glory. It cannot, with any degree of propriety, 
be said that Christ in his human form was the express image of 
the invisible God. The reference must be to the divine nature. 
Now, put these three facts together ; namely, "equal with God/' 
"all the fulness of the Godhead bodily dwelling in him/' and the 
"express image of the invisible God/' and you have clearly estab- 
lished the deity of Jesus Christ. With John you will be ready 
to say, "This is the true God, and eternal life." 

The whole plan of human redemption through the merits of 
Jesus Christ rests upon the doctrine of Christ's supreme di- 
vinity, or that he was truly and properly God manifest in the 
flesh. Remove this corner-stone from our holy Christianity and 
immortality and eternal life disappear. Allow Jesus Christ 
to be God, and we have a solid rock upon which to build our 
hope of heaven. Deny this, and hope vanishes. The divinity 
of Christ, the divine Sonship, the deity of the Holy Spirit, and 
the Trinity are all more or less wrapped in mystery. Like the 
existence of God, the fact is revealed to us, but who can 
comprehend this Eternity and Spirituality? Concerning 
the mode of the divine existence we know nothing. That 
there are three distinct, but not separate persons in the one 
only true God the Scriptures abundantly teach. If it were 
a condition upon which our eternal salvation depended, that 
we must comprehend these great truths, we could never be 
saved. Happy for us that in coming to God we are not re- 
quired to know what he is, but to believe that he is, and that he 
is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus Christ, 
the divine Son, the second person in the Holy Trinity, is God 
manifest in the flesh, and by this condescension is become the 
one only medium through which eternal life can be secured. 
"To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." 



CHAPTEE V. 

HYPOSTATIC UNION. 

By the term hypostatic union we mean the union of the hu- 
man and the divine nature in the person of Jesus Christ. Not 
two persons in one nature, but two natures in one person. He 
was very God and very man. While there are deep and inex- 
plicable mysteries connected with the person of Christ, yet all 
that is absolutely necessary for us to know is made plain. Paul 
says, "Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: 
God was manifest in the flesh/' If in order to be saved we were 
required to comprehend this mystery, we would never be saved. 
In Hebrews we read, "He that cometh to God must believe 
that he is." Happily for us we are not required to know 
what he is. So in accepting Jesus Christ as our Saviour and 
Redeemer we are not required to know all that is implied and 
included in his hypostatic union. We are to believe that he was 
all he claims to have been, and that it was necessary that it 
should be so. We are not so much in need of speculative the- 
ology as of a positive theology. Paul said, "I believe God," a 
short, but comprehensive creed. 

The divinity of Christ was considered in the preceding chap- 
ter. It was there shown from the plain teachings of God's Word 
that he is the very eternal God: (1) By the titles ascribed to 
him. He is called God, the True God, Jehovah, Mighty God, 
Everlasting Eather, Immanuel. (2) By the attributes ascribed 
to him, which belong only to God — eternity, omnipotence, om- 
niscience, immutability. (3) By the works ascribed to him, 
which also belong alone to God — creation, providence, forgive- 
ness of sin, miracles, judgment. (4) He is the object of wor~ 



HYPOSTATIC UNION 45 

ship. These perfections and honors belong to no being in the 
Universe but God. By inspiration they are all ascribed to Jesus 
Christ, not by delegation, but as possessed in himself. There- 
fore, we conclude that Jesus Christ must be the true God. 

Jesus Christ is not only truly and properly God, but he is 
truly and properly man. "His human nature must not be con- 
founded with the divine, for though there be a union of natures 
in Christ, yet there is no mixture or confusion of them or their 
properties. His humanity is not changed into his deity, nor 
his deity into his humanity ; but the two natures are distinct in 
one person/' He assumed our whole nature except sin. He 
had a true human body, a true human soul, and a true human 
spirit; and in this perfect man dwelt "all the fulness of the 
Godhead bodily." Parkhurst says, "The fullness of the God- 
head dwelt in Christ bodily, as opposed to the Jewish tabernacle 
or temple; truly and really in opposition to types and figures; 
not only effectively, as God dwells in good men, but substantially 
or personally, by the strictest union, as the soul dwells in the 
body, so that God and man are one Christ." 

In direct proof of the humanity of Christ, it is only neces- 
sary to introduce a few plain passages of Scripture. 

1. He is called man. "But he, because he abideth for ever, 
hath his priesthood Unchangeable" (Heb. 7:24). "But he, 
when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on 
the right hand of God" (Heb. 10 : 12). "For there is one God, 
one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ 
Jesus" (I. Tim. 2:5). "For he hath been counted worthy 
of more glory than Moses" (Heb. 3:3). If it were necessary, 
many other similar passages could be given. All along since 
the time of Christ on earth, there were those who denied the 
humanity of Christ, as there have been those who denied his 
divinity. 

2. In further proof of the humanity of Christ the Scrip- 



46 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

tures affirm that he was born of woman. "And the third day 
there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of 
Jesus was there" (John 2:1). "She brought forth her first- 
born son" (Luke 2:7). "God sent forth his Son, born of a 
woman" (Gal. 4:4). "Being made in the likeness of men; 
and being found in fashion as a man" (Phil. 2:7, 8). These, 
and many other similar passages, teach that Jesus Christ had a 
real human body. 

3. He was the seed of Abraham and the son of David. "Now 
to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He 
saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy 
seed, which is Christ" (Gal. 3:16). "And in thy seed shall 
all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 22: 18}. But he 
is called the son of David as well as the seed of Abraham. "I 
am the root and the offspring of David" (Rev. 22: 16). In his 
divine nature he was David's God, and in his human nature he 
was David's son. "What think ye of the Christ ? whose son is 
he ? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto 
them, How then doth David in [by] the Spirit call him Lord" 
(Matt. 22 : 42, 43). This is positive proof, both of the divinity 
and humanity of Christ. He is the son of David according to 
the flesh, and the Lord of David according to his divine nature. 
"Who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh" 
(Rom. 1:3). And yet David in spirit — or by the inspira- 
tion of the Spirit — calls him Lord. 

4. Christ's manner of life upon earth proves that he had a 
true human body. He hungered, thirsted, ate, drank, was 
weary, slept, rested, wept, was sorrowful, and died. All these 
phenomena prove his humanity. 

In the person of Christ, then, there were two distinct natures, 
the human and the divine. "And without controversy great is 
the mystery of godliness ; He who was manifested in the flesh" 
(I. Tim. 3 : 16). However deep and mysterious it may be to us, 



HYPOSTATIC UNION 47 

it is nevertheless the doctrine of the Bible. "God manifest in 
the flesh" — two distinct natures complete in one person. We 
rejoice in the doctrine of the divine Christ, the eternal Son of 
God, and we may also rejoice in the doctrine of the human 
Christ, the Son of man. In the great plan of human redemption 
the union of these two natures was absolutely necessary. Neither 
without the other could have made an atonement for the sin 
of the world. The divine nature could not suffer, and the hu- 
man nature unsanctified by the presence of the divine, could 
not have rendered satisfaction to an infinite law. Herein we 
have a display of the justice, wisdom, and love of God: (1) of 
his justice, in demanding satisfaction for the violation of his 
law; (2) of his wisdom, in providing a remedy such as his 
justice required; (3) of his love, in giving his only begotten 
Son as the one only being in the universe that could satisfy the 
claims of the divine. 

This, then, is the Saviour in whom we are to trust for eternal 
salvation. Because he was man, perfect and complete, he can 
be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Because he is 
God he can forgive and sustain us. In the twofold nature of 
Christ we have all. If we need wisdom, strength, sympathy, 
comfort, power, and direction, we can find it all in Christ. If 
we need purity, love, peace, and joy, we can find it all in Christ. 
All we need on the human side we can find in him ; and all we 
need on the divine side we can find in him. "He is able to save 
to the uttermost," for he "is the true God and eternal life." 

In contemplating the character of Christ, his condescension, 
his earth-life, his humiliation, his sufferings and death, his 
burial and resurrection — all for the sake of others, we can think 
of nothing more appropriate with which to close this short chap- 
ter than to adopt the song of the angels which John heard, "And 
I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the 



48 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

throne and the living creatures and the elders ; and the number 
of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of 
thousands ; saying with a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that 
hath been slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, 
and might, and honour, and glory, and blessing" (Rev. 5:11, 
12) . To him be glory forevermore ! 



CHAPTEK VI. 

THE PERSONALITY AND DEITY OF THE HOLY GHOST. 

The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is a cardinal doctrine in 
Christian theology. Because there are mysteries connected with 
it is no argument against it. No finite mind can comprehend 
spirit. We cannot comprehend life, much less spirit. We have 
no philosophy concerning the existence of spirit. All we know, 
or can know, about the deity of the Holy Spirit is what is re- 
vealed to us in the Holy Scriptures. 

The doctrine concerning the deity of the Holy Ghost was 
not settled in the church until a. d. 381. In the Apostles' 
Creed we have the simple statement, "I believe in the Holy 
Ghost." In the Nicene Creed of a. d. 325 we have the follow- 
ing, "And [we believe] in the Holy Ghost." Neither of these 
creeds defined the doctrine of the Holy Ghost, but merely de- 
clared the fact. To settle the doctrine of the Trinity it was 
necessary that a doctrine of the Holy Spirit should be formu- 
lated. For this purpose mainly the great council of Constanti- 
nople was called a. d. 381. After the most careful thought, 
the following doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit was adopted, 
"And [we believe] in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of 
life, who proceedeth from the Father, and with the Father and 
the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the 
prophets." The Athanasian Creed, supposed to have been 
formulated in the school of Augustine, is later than the other 
two, but the exact time of its formulation is not known. It is 
more full and explicit on the Trinity and the deity of the Holy 
Ghost than either of the others, and deserves the most careful 
thought. "And the Catholic faith is this : That we worship one 

49 



BO CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity ; neither confounding the 
persons nor dividing the substances. For there is one Person of 
the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. 
But the Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost is all one; the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal. 
. . . So the Father is God ; the Son is God ; and the Holy 
Ghost is God. And yet there are not three Gods ; but one God. 
. . . The Father is made of none ; neither created nor be- 
gotten. The Son is of the Father alone ; not made nor created, 
but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son ; 
neither made nor created nor begotten; but proceeding. 
. . . And in this Trinity none is before or after another; 
none is greater or less than another. But the whole three per- 
sons are co-eternal and co-equal. So that in all things as afore- 
said, the unity in Trinity and the Trinity in unity is to be wor- 
shiped." 

While creeds are subordinate to the Holy Scriptures, and 
never were intended to be substituted for them, yet they are 
helpful as systematic statements of cardinal doctrine around 
which the thought of the church may crystallize. But funda- 
mental doctrines such as the divinity of Christ, the deity of 
the Holy Spirit, and the Trinity must be settled by a direct ap- 
peal to the Word of God. The question under review is this, 
Do the Scriptures teach the doctrine of the personality and deity 
of the Holy Spirit ? It is not our purpose to attempt to give 
all the passages bearing upon this subject, but a summary of 
the principal ones. 

I. Personality of the Holy Spirit. By personality we mean 
that the Holy Spirit is a real and distinct person in the God- 
head, not separate in essence from the Father, but of one sub- 
stance and eternity with the Father. There are three distinct 
persons in the Godhead — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 



PERSONALITY OF TEE HOLY GHOST 51 

These are of one essence, "personally distinct, yet in unity of 
the Godhead." 

The names and appellations given to the Holy Spirit in the 
sacred Scriptures are such as belong to God, and to him only. 

1. The masculine pronoun. This is applied to the Holy 
Spirit, the same as to the Father. If the Holy Spirit is not a 
real person, it would not be proper to use terms that can mean 
nothing else. Take a few passages to illustrate this fact. "But 
the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will 
send in my name, he shall teach you all things" (John 14: 26). 
"For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; 
but if I go, I will send him unto you. And he, when he is 
come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteous- 
ness, and of judgement" (John 16 : 7, 8). Add to this the thir- 
teenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth verses of the same chapter, 
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide 
you into all the truth : for he shall not speak from himself; but 
what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he 
shall declare umto you the things that are to come. He shall 
glorify me : for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto 
you. All things whatsoever the Father hath are mine: there- 
fore said I, that he taketh of mine, and shall declare it unto 
you." In these passages the masculine pronoun is used, and 
directly applied to the Holy Spirit fourteen times. If, as some 
teach, the Holy Spirit is only an influence, or abstract attribute, 
how are we to interpret the Saviour's language? There is no 
stronger appellation of personality in any language than the 
masculine pronoun as used in these passages and applied to the 
Holy Spirit. Observe still further that in these same passages 
there are ten personal acts ascribed to the Holy Spirit which 
are "only proper to a being of intelligence and personality" ; 
namely, (1) to be sent, (2) to teach, (3) to come, (4) to re- 
prove, (5) to guide, (6) to speak, (7) to hear, (8) to show f 



52 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

(9) to take, (10) to receive. If the Holy Spirit is nothing 
more than an abstract influence, quality, attribute, or energy, 
how are we to account for the personal acts ascribed to him ? 

II. Tine name given to the Holy Spirit proves his deity. 
He is called God. "But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan 
filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? . . . thou hast 
not lied unto men, but unto God" (Acts 5 : 3, 4). Peter charged 
Ananias of lying to the Holy Ghost, which he affirms is 
lying to God, thus teaching that the Holy Ghost is God. 
"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, 
nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13). "For 
whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world" (I. 
John 5:4). Observe that in these passages the new birth is 
ascribed directly to God — "born of God." In John 3 : 5-7, our 
Lord teaches that we are born of the Spirit. The same work 
is ascribed to God and to the Holy Spirit, thus calling the Holy 
Spirit God. Compare Isa. 6:5, 9, 10 with Acts 28 : 25, 27, 
and you will see that whom the prophet calls the "Lord of 
hosts," the apostle calls the "Holy Spirit." 

III. The attributes ascribed to the Holy Spirit establish 
his personality and divinity, for they are such as belong to no 
being in the universe but God. (1) Eternity. "How much 
more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit 
offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your con- 
science from dead works to serve the living God ?" (Heb. 9 : 14.) 
(2) Omnipresence. "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or 
whither shall I flee from thy presence?" (Ps. 139: 7.) "But 
ye [all Christians everywhere] are not in the flesh, but in the 
spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you" (Rom. 
8:9). (3) Omnipotence. "Byword and deed, in the power 
of signs and wonders, in the power of the Holy Ghost" 
(Rom. 15:18, 19). (4) Omniscience. "For the Spirit 
searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For who 



PERSONALITY OF TEE HOLY GHOST 53 

among men knoweth the things of a man, gave the spirit of 
the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none 
knoweth, save the Spirit of God" (I. Cor. 2:10, 11). This 
is a very strong passage. "The Spirit searcheth." Could the 
Spirit search if he is not a person ? Could the Spirit search 
the deep things of God, and know them, if he is not omnis- 
cient? "The things of God knoweth no man," but the Spirit 
knoweth them. "There is," says Dr. Miley, "no stronger ex- 
pression of an absolute omniscience in the Scriptures. This is 
the omniscience of the Holy Spirit." 

Now, these are attributes which do not belong to any created 
being; neither do they inhere in any mere influence, energy, 
or quality ; they belong to God, and to him only. In the forego- 
ing passages they are directly applied to the Holy Spirit ; there- 
fore, the Holy Spirit must be God. 

IV. The agency, or work of the Holy Spirit attests his real 
and proper divinity. His work denotes that he is the exec- 
utive officer in the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit could never 
perform an official act if he were not a personal identity. (1) 
Creation, "And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the 
waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was 
light" (Gen. 1:2). "Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are 
created; and thou renewest the face of the ground" (Ps. 104: 
30). "By his spirit the heavens are garnished" (Job 26: 13). 
"The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Al- 
mighty giveth me life" (Job 33:4). Personal action is here 
ascribed to the Holy Spirit. He moved, created, garnished, 
and made. This could not be said of a mere influence, energy, 
or abstract attribute. It carries with it the idea of divinity 
and personality. "God, having of old time spoken unto the 
fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers man- 
ners" (Heb. 1:1). How did God speak to the fathers? 
Paul says "by the prophets." But how did he speak by the 



54 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

prophets? Peter answers this, "For no prophecy ever came 
by the will of man : but men spake from God, being moved by 
the Holy Ghost" (II. Pet. 1: 21). What Paul says God did, 
Peter says the Holy Ghost did ; therefore, the Holy Ghost must 
be God. 

The work of the Holy Spirit as set forth in the Scriptures 
not only includes creation and inspiration, but preservation, 
regeneration, witnessing with our spirit, quickening, comfort- 
ing, guiding, and upholding. 

The Holy Spirit is associated with the Father and the Son 
in the ordinance of baptism. Would God associate himself in 
such intimate relation with a mere influence, or energy ? "Into 
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost" 
(Matt. 28:19). This text can never be explained by those 
who deny the personality and deity of the Holy Ghost. The 
candidate is as much baptized in the name of the Holy Ghost 
as he is in the name of the Father. It would be just as reason- 
able to say that the Father is a mere influence, energy, or ab- 
stract attribute as to say it in relation to the Holy Ghost. 
Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is honored by an association with 
the Father and the Son in the apostolic benediction. "The 
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the com- 
munion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all" (II. Cor. 13: 14). 
"God represents himself as a jealous God, who will not give his 
honor to another." But if the name of a mere creature, attri- 
bute, or influence be connected with God the Father in the most 
solemn forms of religious worship, how can we contemplate 
the subject without seeing therein the most direct encourage- 
ment to idolatry ? 

Concerning the apostolic benediction, Dr. Miley says: "It 
is not a mere form of words, but an earnest prayer . . . 
for the richest spiritual blessings. These blessings can be con- 
ferred only through personal divine agency. This love of God 



PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY GHOST 55 

the Father is the personal bestowment of the gifts of his love. 
This grace of Christ is the personal gift of the benefits of his 
redemptive work. Hence this communion of the Spirit must 
signify his personal agency in our spiritual life. The person- 
ality of the Spirit is as real as that of the Father and of the 
Son." 

In I. Cor. 12 : 4-11, Paul gives a list of the gifts of the Holy 
Spirit which proves beyond all doubt his personality. He gives 
wisdom, faith, power, and knowledge, which are all personal 
attributes. Then we are taught that the Holy Spirit is grieved, 
is lied to, resisted, blasphemed against, searches and knows all 
things. All these stand as proofs conclusive of the deity and 
personality of the Holy Spirit. 

VI. The majesty ascribed to the Holy Ghost is direct proof 
of his personality and deity. "Therefore I say unto you, Every 
sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men ; but the blas- 
phemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven" (Matt. 12: 
31). It matters not what you call this Holy Spirit — call 
it an influence, an energy, a power, a manifestation, or an 
abstract attribute, — you can never make sense out of this 
text until you admit the personality and deity of the Holy 
Ghost. When we admit that the Holy Spirit is a real and dis- 
tinct person in the Godhead, and equal in power and glory with 
the Father and the Son, all these scriptures are plain, other- 
wise they are inexplicable. 

The titles, works, attributes, honors, and majesty ascribed to 
the Holy Ghost throughout the Scriptures are such as belong 
to no being in the universe but the Lord of Hosts ; we therefore 
conclude that the Holy Ghost is God, equal in being with the 
Father and the Son. 

The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is one of the cardinal doc- 
trines of Christianity. God uses many instrumentalities in 
carrying on the affairs of his government, but the Holy Spirit 



56 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

is the one only agent. He is the executive officer in the Holy- 
Trinity. Nothing is, or can be accomplished in or through the 
church without the personal aid of this agent. Our Lord taught 
his disciples that it were better for him to go away, for if he 
went not away the Holy Spirit would not come. The meaning 
seems to be that in the divine plan of human redemption the 
presence and aid of the Holy Spirit in the church was more 
needful than his own personal presence. "Nevertheless I tell 
you the truth ; It is expedient for you that I go away : for if 
I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you" (John 
16:7). The deity, personality, and influence of the Holy 
Spirit will be further considered in subsequent chapters. 






CHAPTER VII. 

INFLUENCE AND OFFICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

Concerning the "influence of the Holy Spirit, it is not 
claimed that he operates independent nor in contravention of 
the moral exercise of the mental powers/' but in harmony with 
all the laws of mind. The work of the Holy Spirit has been 
divided into extraordinary and ordinary. By extraordinary is 
meant "immediate inspiration, making men prophets" ; by or- 
dinary is meant "his regenerating and sanctifying influence, 
making men saints." 

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit. By inspiration is meant 
divine diction. When we speak of the inspiration of the Holy 
Scriptures we mean that the sacred writers prepared their works 
under the plenary and immediate influence of the Holy Spirit. 
The Scriptures claim this in many ways. "Every scripture in- 
spired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for 
correction, for instruction which is righteousness" (II. Tim. 
3 : 16). "For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but 
men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Ghost" (II. 
Pet. 1:21). "Brethren, it was needful that the scripture 
should be fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost spake before by the 
mouth of David concerning Judas" (Acts 1: 16). These pas- 
sages are so plain and direct that comment is unnecessary. In 
Eph. 3 : 3-5, we read, "How that by revelation was made known 
unto me the mystery; . . . which in other generations was 
not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been re- 
vealed unto his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit." Upon 
this passage Dr. Clarke says : "The apostle wishes the Ephesians 
to understand that it was not an opinion of his own, or a doc- 

57 



58 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

trine which he was taught by others, or which he had gathered 
from the ancient prophets; but one that came to him by im- 
mediate revelation from God. These were discoveries totally 
new, and now revealed for the first time by the Spirit of God." 

The inspiration of the Holy Scriptures is not only confirmed 
by what they claim for themselves, but by "the celestial ideas in 
them ; the spirituality and elevation of their design ; the maj- 
esty and simplicity of their style ; the candor, disinterestedness, 
and uprightness of the penmen ; the harmonious agreement of 
their various parts ; their wonderful efficacy on the consciences 
and character of mankind ; their astonishing preservation ; the 
multitude of miracles wrought in confirmation of the doctrine 
they contain, and the exact fulfillment of all their predictions 
up to this hour." 

There are passages of Scripture which contain such elevation 
of thought concerning God and his attributes as the most exalted 
genius never possessed in himself. There are subjects treated 
by the sacred penmen which they could not have known by any 
natural means. Take what is said from first to last on the plan 
of human redemption, and it far surpasses anything that was 
ever conceived by mere human wisdom. Look at the prophe- 
cies, extending through many centuries, and their exact fulfill- 
ment. Take it altogether, and we have the clearest evidence that 
"holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 

Because we speak of the administration of the Spirit as 
peculiar to the gospel age, we are not thence to conclude that 
he was inactive prior to that time. He was active in creation 
and connected with the plan of redemption from the time the 
promise was given to Adam. In I. Pet. 1 : 2, we read that the 
prophets inquired and searched diligently to find out the "time 
the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testi- 
fied beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that 
should follow." He was "the author and finisher of our Lord's 






OFFICE OF TEE HOLY SPIRIT 59 

human nature," so that, in many ways, his work is shown in the 
Old as well as in the New Testament. But his administration 
proper commenced on the day of Pentecost. The gift of the 
Spirit was to glorify Christ, and this he could not do until 
Christ himself was glorified in heaven. Our Lord said, a He 
shall glorify me : for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it 
unto you." Dr. Pope, in speaking of the administration of the 
Holy Spirit, says that it signifies "that we now pass from the 
finished work of Christ to its application by the Holy Gho3t 
through the gospel." Furthermore he says : "The divine purpose 
of redemption was gradually accomplished in the establishment 
of a covenant of which Jesus Christ was the mediator. Having 
ratified that covenant with his blood, the Redeemer commits it 
to the Holy Spirit that he may carry out all its provisions ac- 
cording to the will of its divine Author." 

It would be difficult, if indeed not impossible, ever to estimate 
the importance of the personal presence and aid of the Holy 
Spirit in carrying forward the work of the church. The church, 
however complete her machinery may be, is powerless for good 
without this Spirit-life. Jesus bade his disciples go and teach 
all nations, but they should wait until they received the Holy 
Spirit. Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would 
come and abide in and with the church. "The Christian church 
is the sphere of the Spirit's administration." He quickens the 
Word as it is preached; convinces of sin, righteousness, and 
judgment ; renews the heart ; cleanses the soul by the applica- 
tion of the blood of atonement; adopts into God's spiritual 
family; enlightens the understanding; comforts, guides, and 
strengthens the church. 

There is a remarkable passage in Rom. 8 : 26, 27, which every 
Christian would do well to read and study, "And in like manner 
the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to 
pray as we ought ; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession 



60 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

for us with groanings which cannot be uttered; and he that 
searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, 
because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the 
will of God." Jesus Christ is our Advocate with the Father; 
the Holy Spirit makes intercessions for us, not by supplications 
to God, "but by directing and qualifying our supplications, 
which, according to the gospel scheme, is the peculiar work and 
office of the Holy Spirit." "We know not how to pray as we 
ought." But the Spirit helpeth us, so that by his intercessions 
our prayers are heard and answered. He is ever present, di- 
recting, qualifying, ever giving instrumentalities, and making 
them effective. The life and power of the individual Christian, 
as well as that of the whole church, is due to the personal pres- 
ence and direct influence of the Holy Spirit. 

It is the settled belief of the evangelical church that the Holy 
Spirit moves upon the hearts and minds of the people through 
the medium of his Word. The Word alone would not be effec- 
tive if it were not quickened by the Holy Spirit. In Eph. 6 : 
17, Paul speaks of the Word as "the sword of the Spirit/' It 
came by the inspiration of the Spirit, and "receives its fulfill- 
ment in the soul through the operation of the Holy Spirit." In 
Heb. 4:12, the Word is represented as "quick" "powerful" 
"piercing" "dividing" and "discerning" The Word itself has 
no such power. But when quickened by the Holy Spirit it will 
reach the hearts of the people. 

It being conceded then that the Holy Spirit inspired the 
sacred Scriptures, and that he also operates on the hearts and 
minds of the people through the medium of the written Word, 
the only remaining question to consider is, whether the Spirit 
operates on the mind and heart of man separate and apart from 
the written Word. It would seem most reasonable that "the 
Father of Spirits, by a thousand ways, has access to the spirits 
he has made, so as to give them what determination, or impart 



OFFICE OF. THE HOLY SPIRIT 61 

to them what assistance he thinks proper/- A few plain texts 
will assist us in understanding this doctrine. "Then opened he 
their mind, that they might understand the scriptures" (Luke 
24:45). Our Lord did not open their understanding by the 
Scriptures; but that they might understand the Scriptures. 
"Whose heart the Lord opened, to give heed unto the things 
which were spoken by Paul" (Acts 16: 14). Here the opening 
of the heart is ascribed directly to the Lord ; not after Lydia had 
heard Paul, but in order that she might attend unto the things 
spoken by Paul. 

"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the water- 
courses: he turneth it whithersoever he will" (Prov. 21:1). 
Here the influence that turns the heart is direct from the Lord — 
the heart is in his hand — he turns it "whithersoever he will." 

Jesus told his disciples that when the Comforter was come 
he would "convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteous- 
ness, and of judgement" (John 16: 8). The plain meaning is 
that the Holy Ghost is not confined to one time, place, or people. 
He "will convict the world/' 

Furthermore, the direct influence of the Holy Spirit may 
be expected in answer to prayer. "If ye then, being evil, know 
how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall 
your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask 
him?" (Luke 11:13.) "Create in me a clean heart, O God; 
and renew a right spirit within me" (Ps. 51: 10). Why pray 
for the help and influence of the Holy Spirit if he can only 
operate upon the heart and mind through the written Word ? 

The plain teaching of the Word of God is : (1) that the Holy 
Spirit inspired the writers of the sacred Scriptures; (2) the 
Holy Spirit operates upon the hearts and minds of the people 
through and by means of the written Word; (3) the Holy 
Spirit, as the executive officer in the Holy Trinity, operates 
upon the hearts and minds of the people direct, and "distinct 



62 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

from argument and motives presented in words to the eye or 
the ear." The Holy Spirit can as easily move upon the spirit 
of man direct as he "moved upon the face of the waters." There 
are two questions which may be considered in this connection. 

1. Concerning the heathen. Will any of them be saved ? 
Paul, in Rom. 2 : 12-15, more than intimates that those who 
do by nature the things contained in the law, and live according 
to the best light they have, will be saved. But they have a cor- 
rupt nature which would forever unfit them for heaven. How 
is that corrupt nature to be removed % Is there any other means 
for cleansing the soul save the virtue of the blood of atonement ? 
Is there any agent, human or divine, to apply that blood but the 
Holy Spirit? Now, if the Holy Spirit can operate upon the 
mind and heart of man only through the medium of the Word, 
then all the heathen will be lost, no matter what they do. 

2. Infants and idiots. All men are depraved ; all are born 
into the world with a corrupt nature. Infants and idiots are 
innocent so far as the guilt of sin is concerned, but they have 
a nature which unfits them for heaven. ^Nothing unholy or un- 
clean can ever enter heaven. Not a saint in heaven whose soul 
has not been washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb ! 
How are infants and idiots to be saved ? Through what agency 
will their souls be washed and made white ? 

To show still further the influence and office of the Holy 
Spirit we will close this chapter by calling attention to the em- 
blems under which he is alluded to in the Scriptures : Water — 
cleansing, fertilizing, refreshing, abundant, freely given. Fire 
— purifying, illuminating, searching. Wind — independent, 
powerful, sensible in its effects, reviving. Oil — healing, com- 
forting, consecrating. Rain and dew — fertilizing, refreshing, 
abundant, imperceptible, penetrating. A dove — gentle, meek, 
innocent, forgiving. A voice — speaking, guiding, warning, 
teaching. A seal — impressing, securing, authenticating. 



CHAPTEK VIII. 

THE TRINITY. 

The word "trinity" means the union of three in one. "The 
trinity of persons in the Deity consists with the unity of the 
divine essence." The doctrine of the Trinity as set forth in the 
Holy Scriptures is well and properly expressed in the following 
words : "There is but one living and true God, everlasting, of 
infinite power, wisdom, and goodness ; the maker and preserver 
of all things, visible and invisible. And in unity of this God- 
head there are three persons, of one substance, power, and eter- 
nity, the Father, the Son (the Word), and the Holy Ghost." 

Concerning the modus of this divine existence, that is an 
inexplicable mystery. How three persons constitute one God 
we may never be able to comprehend. But this cannot be urged 
as valid objection against the doctrine of the Trinity in unity. 
No man can comprehend any one of the divine attributes ; nor 
can he fully comprehend the modus in which any living thing 
subsists, be it insect, man, or angel. If we cannot therefore 
comprehend in the least, how do we expect to comprehend in 
the greatest % We receive it as a great and glorious truth, and 
upon it rests our faith. "He that cometh to God must believe 
that he is," but he is not required to comprehend what he is. 

"The trinity of persons in the Deity consists with the unity 
of the divine essence." To establish this doctrine it will be 
necessary to show from the Holy Scriptures that distinct per- 
sonality, and divine perfections, are ascribed to the Father and 
to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. 

The Unity of God. By the "unity of God" we are to under- 
stand that there is but one God, or self-existent being, in the 
universe. This may be established from what is said concern- 



64 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

ing his perfections, independence, and attributes. It also ap- 
pears in the unity of design in all his works. The unity of God 
is held both by Unitarians and Trinitarians. The difference 
between Unitarians and Trinitarians is this, the former confine 
all the perfections of the Deity to the Father alone, while the 
latter hold that "in the unity of the Godhead there are three 
persons of one substance, power, and eternity — the Father, the 
Son (the Word), and the Holy Ghost." The fact that there is 
a trinity of persons in the unity of the divine essence does not 
make three Gods. "There is," says Dr. Gill, "but one divine 
essence, though there are different modes of subsisting in it, 
which are called persons; and these possess the whole essence 
undivided. And this unity is not a unity of parts, which makes 
one compositum, as the body and soul of man do, for God is a 
simple and uncompounded Spirit." 

To establish the unity of God it will only be necessary to 
introduce a few of the many passages that teach it. "Know 
therefore this day, and lay it to thine heart, that the Lord he 
is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath: there is 
none else" (Deut. 4:39). "For thou art great, and doest 
wondrous things" (Ps. 86: 10). "Before me there was no God 
formed, neither shall there be after me" (Isa. 43 : 10). "Jesus 
answered, The first is, Hear, O Israel ; The Lord our God, the 
Lord is one; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, 
and with all thy strength" (Mark 12:29, 30). "Thus saith 
the Lord, the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of 
hosts : I am the first, and I am the last ; and beside me there is 
no God. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have I not declared 
unto thee of old, and shewed it ? and ye are my witnesses. Is 
there a God beside me ? yea, there is no Kock ; I know not any" 
(Isa. 44 : 6, 8). "And this is life eternal, that they should know 
thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, even 



TEE TRINITY 65 

Jesus Christ" (John 17:3). "One God and Father of all, 
who is over all, and through all, and in all" (Eph. 4:6). 
"Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord" (Deut. 6:4). 
The unity of God is declared by himself, "Is there a God be- 
side me? yea, there is no Rock; I know not any" (Isa. 44: 8). 
This is a fundamental doctrine of the Christian religion. Any 
other view would vitiate the whole Christian system. The fact 
that there are three persons in the Godhead does not, nor can- 
not affect the unity of the divine essence. He is still one God ; 
eternal, omnipotent, and independent. As expressed in our 
Confession of Faith, "We believe in the only true God, the 
Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost; that these three are one, 
the Father in the Son, the Son in the Father, and the Holy 
Ghost equal in essence or being with both." 

Divinity of Christ. This was considered in a previous chap- 
ter, but there are certain phases of it which we think should be 
mentioned in connection with the Trinity. The titles, attri- 
butes, works, and honors ascribed to Christ attest his divinity. 
Objections against the divinity of Christ have been urged be- 
cause he is called the Son of God. This, like many other mat- 
ters concerning the existence of God, is a mystery, but is not on 
that account to be rejected. The eternal Sonship of Jesus 
Christ is thus expressed in the Nicene Creed, "We believe in 
one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, 
Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, be- 
ing #f one substance with the Father ; by whom all things were 
made." The Athanasian Creed says, "The Son is of the Father 
alone ; not made, nor created ; but begotten." Dr. Pope says, 
"The eternal Sonship has an essential relation to the doctrine 
of the Trinity; and nothing is more important than to dis- 
tinguish between this and those applications of the term 'Son' 
which refer to the incarnate estate. 'Thou art my Son; this 
day have I begotten thee* is applied in the lNew Testament to 

5 



66 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

the full manifestations of the Son as Mediator ; but St. Paul 
teaches that the Son as such is the image of the invisible God, 
the Firstborn before every creature, who is before all things" 

Dr. Hodge says: "The peculiar personal property of the 
first Person is expressed by the title Father. As a person he is 
eternally the Father of his only begotten Son. The peculiar 
personal property of the second Person is expressed by the title 
Son. As a person he is eternally the only begotten of the Fa- 
ther, and hence the express image of his person, and the eternal 
Word in the beginning with God. The peculiar property of the 
third Person is expressed by the title Spirit. This cannot ex- 
press his essence, because his essence is also the essence of the 
Father and Son. It must express his eternal personal relation 
to the other divine persons, because he is a person constantly 
designated as the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit of the Son. 
They are all spoken of in Scripture in a constant order; the 
Father first, the Son second, and the Spirit third." 

Dr. Miley says: "The personality [of the Son] is clearly 
given in the identification of the Word with the incarnate Son \ 
'and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we be- 
held his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) 
full of grace and truth' ; 'the only begotten of the Father' ever 
means the Son of God. The Son is the Word. The Word is 
personally and essentially divine. This is the truth of a divine 
Sonship." 

, Deity of the Holy Spirit. Suffice it to say in this place, that 
the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit is proven in the 
same manner that we prove the divinity of Christ. The titles, 
attributes, works, honors, and majesty ascribed to the Holy 
Spirit are such as belong to God and to him only. They are 
not ascribed to men, nor angels ; why, then, are they ascribed 
to the Holy Spirit, if he be not God ? 

Some have thought that they found in nature analogies that 



TEE TRINITY 67 

would stand as proof of the divine Trinity. There may be such 
analogies — there may be a trinity in many things, — but wher- 
ever you find a trinity you will find a mystery. Dr. T. Watson 
said, a Our narrow thoughts can no more comprehend the 
Trinity in Unity than a little nutshell will hold all the waters 
of the ocean." Dr. Miley, when treating on this subject, says : 
"We have attempted no philosophy of the Trinity. There is 
for us no present solution of the doctrine. There is, however, 
a philosophy of its profound significance for the spiritual and 
practical Christian life. God in Christianity is God in Trin- 
ity." And we may add that God in Trinity is God in creation, 
redemption, and providence; God in Trinity is the object of 
worship both in heaven and in earth. 

While we are not able to form any conception of a trinity 
of persons in the unity of the Godhead, we must admit that the 
Scriptures teach : (1) that there is but one true God ; (2) that to 
Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are ascribed attributes, titles, 
and perfections which belong to this one only true God. "This 
doctrine underlies the most vital forces of the gospel, and on the 
ground of Scripture we hold it in a sure faith, whatever its 
mystery for thought. That which remains a cross for our think- 
ing is thus at the same time the crown of the Christian concep- 
tion of God." 

There is, then, but one God ; and yet here are three persons 
that are God. The three persons exist in the unity of the God- 
Lead, and in this unity there are three persons of one substance, 
power, and eternity. The distinction is in person, and not in 
substance. There are not three Gods in one person, but three 
persons in one God. The nature of which they partake is undi- 
vided. They are distinguished in person, but not in nature. 
The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are of one substance. And 
this must have been from eternity. "What God is now he ever 
was; he is the eternal and immutable I AM." 



68 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

In proof of the doctrine of the Unity it is proper to note that 
there is in the very name a plurality. God, from Elohim, in 
the Hebrew, has the plural form. Parkhurst says, "Let those 
who have any doubt whether Elohim, when applied to the true 
God, Jehovah, be plural or not, consult the following passages, 
where they will find it joined with adjectives, verbs, and pro- 
nouns plural: Gen. 1 : 26 ; 3 : 22 ; 11 : 7 ; 20 : 13 ; 31 : 7, 53 ; 
35:7; Deut. 4:7; Josh. 24 : 19 ; I. Sam. 4 : 8 ; II. Sam. 7 : 23." 

Dr. Clarke, in his comment on Gen. 1 : 1, says, "The original 
word Elohim, God, is certainly the plural form of El, and has 
long been supposed by the most eminently learned and pious men 
to imply a plurality of persons in the divine nature." The doc- 
tor quotes from Simeon ben Joachi, an eminent Jewish rabbin. 
"Come," says the learned rabbin, "and see the mystery of the 
word Elohim; there are three degrees, and each degree by itself 
alone, and yet, notwithstanding, they are all one, and joined 
together in one, and are not divided from each other." To this 
the doctor adds the following pointed words, "He must be 
strangely prejudiced indeed who cannot see that the doctrine of 
a Trinity, and of a Trinity in Unity, is clearly expressed in the 
above words." 

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our 
likeness" (Gen. 1: 26). To whom did the Creator speak? He 
uses two plural pronouns, us and our, the latter twice. Upon 
this passage Dr. Clarke makes the following comment, "The text 
tells us, he (man) was the work of Elohim, the divine Plurality, 
marked here more distinctly by the plural pronouns us and our; 
and to show that he was the masterpiece of God's creation all 
the persons in the Godhead are represented as united in counsel 
and effect to produce this astonishing creature." 

That there are three persons in the Unity of the Godhead 
is further confirmed by what is said concerning creation. It is 
declared that God created the heaven and the earth. (Gen. 1 : 



TEE TRINITY 69 

1.) It is declared that the Son (Word) created all things. 
(John 1:3). It is declared that the work of creation was ac- 
complished by the Holy Ghost. (Gen. 1 : 3 ; Ps. 104 : 30 ; Job 
26:13; 33:4.) Each person in the Trinity was directly 
connected with the creation of heaven and earth, and the 
formation of man. For this reason the work of creation 
is ascribed to each person in the Godhead. If we reject the doc- 
trine of the Trinity, no reasonable interpretation can be given 
of those passages which ascribe the work of creation to each per- 
son in the Godhead. While it is true that we cannot compre- 
hend how this " Trinity of persons in the Deity consists, with 
the Unity of the divine essence," it is also true that there are 
many passages of Scripture that we cannot explain to mean any- 
thing less than this. 

The Trinity in Unity is further confirmed by the use of the 
three names in the formula of Christian baptism. If each 
name does not relate to person, what does it signify ? "And if 
each person named be not God, why the propriety of connecting 
the name of a creature in terms of apparent perfect equality, 
with the name of the supreme God, in a solemn act of worship. " 
When a Trinitarian administers the solemn ordinance of Chris- 
tian baptism "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost," he acknowledges that the Father is God, 
that the Son is God, and that the Holy Ghost is God ; three dis- 
tinct personalities of one substance, power, and eternity. "If 
the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost do not exist in unity of the 
Godhead, then are Christians (in baptism) connected to one 
God, one creature, and one attribute, influence, or something 
else." 

One text more must suffice on this subject. "The grace of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion 
of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen" (II. Cor. 13: 14). 
In this benediction, as in the solemn ordinance of baptism, there 



70 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

is an acknowledgement of three distinct personalities. The one 
is petitioned the same as the other. It is a solemn act of wor- 
ship ; and the Son and the Holy Ghost are as truly worshiped 
in this benediction as the Father. 

Taking the Word of God as our guide, we conclude that the 
most reasonable interpretation of many passages sets forth and 
confirms the doctrine that "in Unity of the Godhead there are 
three persons of one substance, power, and eternity" ; and that 
these constitute one true and living God. May we not with full 
hearts and unshaken faith join in that song of praise and adora- 
tion, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy 
Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen." 



CHAPTER IX. 

MAN, ORIGIN AND FALL. 

CBEATION OF MAN. 

The history of the origin and fall of man has furnished the 
basis of many theories and much useless speculation. No his- 
tory, except what is contained in the Bible, goes far enough 
back to cover the time of man's first appearance upon earth. 
This rejected, and we are at sea without chart or compass. 
Objections are urged against the Mosaic account of the origin 
of man — not only against the fact itself, but the manner in 
which it was accomplished. God did as it pleased him. He 
might have created man out of nothing by a single word or 
thought. He might have formed him out of a leaf or the branch 
of a tree. In the same manner he might have formed woman. 
But his infinite wisdom caused him to do otherwise. Those 
who will, can see some of the reasons why God did as he did. 
Read Gen. 3 : 19, "For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou 
return." Again, read Matt. 19 : 5, "And the twain shall be- 
come one flesh." Do not these passages show the wisdom of 
God in forming the first human pair just as he did? But no 
matter how he did it, or might have done it, the creation of man 
was a miracle. 

Over against the Mosaic account of the origin of man we 
have the evolution theory. Adopting this, we must go back 
through unnumbered ages and find life in its lowest possible 
state, evolved from dead matter. Starting from this, we go on 
and up for ages unnumbered, and find man, not created, not 
made, but in some mysterious and unknown manner evolved 
from some lower order of being. Which, now, is the more rea- 
sonable, the Mosaic account or the evolution theory? 

71 



72 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

There is nothing in the Mosaic account concerning the origin 
of man that is unreasonable or in any way humiliating. What 
higher honor can man claim than that he was created by the 
Creator of the universe, and that life, natural and spiritual, 
was breathed into him by the breath of the Almighty % What 
theory of evolution is to be compared with this? Man came 
from somewhere, but evolutionists cannot tell when, where, nor 
how he came. 

Turning to the Scriptures, we read, "And God said, Let us 
make man in our image, after our likeness : . . . and God 
created man in his own image, in the image of God created he 
him ; male and female created he them" (Gen. 1 : 26, 27). Two 
facts are taught in this scripture. First, that God created man ; 
and second, that he created him holy — in his own image and 
likeness. 

Every attempt to account for the origin of man in any other 
way than that contained in the Bible is unsatisfactory. Scien- 
tists have labored long and hard to show that man is only a de- 
velopment from some lower order of animal; but every effort 
they have made only demonstrates that their theories are not 
only not true, but they cannot possibly be true. There are dis- 
tinctive characteristics in man for which they cannot account 
on the theory of evolution. Among these we may name erect 
stature, slow growth, proportion of brain, possession of and 
perfect structure of two hands, speech, mental faculties, and 
capacity for indefinite improvement. These alone prove that 
man is not, and could not by any possibility be the descendant 
of any lower order of animal. The Bible account of the origin 
of man is in perfect harmony with the highest order of reason. 
God created man the head and lord of the animal creation. Con- 
cerning man physically, mentally, and spiritually, David was 
impressed to exclaim, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." 

The original state of man. Man was created in the image 



MAN, ORIGIN AND FALL 73 

and after the likeness of God. This cannot be interpreted to 
mean corporeal image, for God is a spirit. It must therefore 
refer to man as a moral and intellectual being. God is infinitely 
holy, and as man in his creation received from his Creator all 
he had, he must have been holy. Man as he awoke to existence 
in the Garden of Eden was the effect of a holy cause. If man in 
his original state possessed any evil, or tendency to evil, he must 
have received it from God. But he was made in the image and 
after the likeness of his Creator. When the work of creation 
was completed, God looked upon and "saw every thing that he 
had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1 : 31). In this 
"every thing" man was included. Now, if there had been any 
evil, or natural tendency to evil in man, God could not have pro- 
nounced "every thing" good. But he not only pronounced it 
good, but "very good" 

One other text relating to the original state of man will suf- 
fice. "Behold, this only have I found, that God made man up- 
right; but they have sought out many inventions" (Eccl. 7: 
29). The word "upright" does not mean erect posture of body, 
but moral, or spiritual uprightness. This is the sense in which 
the word is generally used in the Scriptures, as may be seen 
from the following texts: "The righteousness of the upright 
shall deliver them" (Prov. 11: 6). "I was also perfect with 
him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity" (Ps. 18:23). 
"My shield is with God, which saveth the upright in heart" 
(Ps. 7: 10). "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: 
for the latter end of that man is peace" (Ps. 37: 37). "The 
high way of the upright Is to depart from evil" (Prov. 16 : 17). 
From these and many similar passages it is perfectly clear that 
the sacred writers used the word upright in the sense of moral 
rectitude. "Whatever evil," says Dr. Clarke "may be found 
among men and women to-day it is not from God, for God made 
them upright." "He who is infinitely holy," says Mr. Balston, 



74 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

"could not, consistently with his nature, have produced an un- 
holy creature. The stream must partake of the nature of the 
fountain. Therefore, man was created, in the moral sense, with- 
out spot or wrinkle." 

Adam's purity and innocency was peculiarly his own. He 
was just what God made him. Every moral, mental, and phys- 
ical perfection in him was passive, nothing acquired. So far as 
character hinges upon moral acts, he had none of that, for he 
had not acted. What time elapsed between his creation and 
fall we are not informed. Whether the temptation to which he 
yielded was the first presented we do not know. The presump- 
tive evidence is that he yielded to the first temptation, and that, 
within a comparatively short time after his creation. While 
these, and many other like questions must remain unanswered, 
the Scriptures in plain language inform us : (1) that God created 
man; (2) that he made him in his own image; (3) that man 
was created a free moral agent; (4) that he fell from his orig- 
inal estate and brought upon himself and his posterity condem- 
nation. 

The fall of man. God made man an intelligent moral agent, 
with a natural ability to do right or wrong. So far as we have 
any means of knowing, it seems to be the mind of God that all 
intelligent beings whom he creates, whether angels or men, must 
have a state of probation. The Scriptures speak of angels which 
kept not their first estate. This certainly implies that they were 
in a state of probation, capable of standing or falling. "The 
trial of Adam by a special prohibition, was singularly adapted 
to the end proposed. To conform to the Creator's will he must 
be trained to habits of implicit obedience." 

The origin of sin in man created as Adam was, is, and always 
will be a mystery. He was without sin, possessed of a sinless 
will and without any bias to evil. Yet he sinned. Beyond 
doubt, he was a moral agent, having the power to stand or fall. 



MAN, ORIGIN AND FALL 75 

This is clearly implied in the idea of probation. Probation, if 
it means anything, is a test, or a trial. While Adam had no 
moral bias to disobey, he had the natural power to yield to temp- 
tation. The source of sin is in the will. It was no sin for him 
to be tempted, but when he gave the consent of his will, the evil 
was done. Adam was holy, but not infallible. If he did not 
have the power to obey or disobey, he was not a free moral agent, 
and if he were not a free moral agent he was not in a state of 
probation. These mutually imply each other. He was tempted 
from without, and in the exercise of his natural powers he 
yielded to the subtlety of Satan. We speak of sin in its relation 
to man and this world, but to find its true origin we must go into 
the distant past when Satan and his angels fell. When that was, 
and under what conditions, we do not know, nor is it necessary 
that we should know. 

Dr. A. A. Hodge says : "It appears to be God's general plan, 
and one eminently wise and righteous, to introduce all the new 
created subjects of moral government into a state of probation 
for a time, in which he makes their permanent character and 
destiny depend upon their own action. He creates them holy, 
yet capable of falling. In this state he subjects them to a moral 
test for a time." 

In defining sin we must always associate with it the idea 
of a "responsible personal agency." Sin, as defined in the 
Westminster Confession, "is any want of conformity to, or 
transgression of the law of God." Arminius defines sin to be 
"something thought, spoken, or done against the law of God, or 
the omission of something which has been commanded by that 
law to be thought, spoken, or done." Mr. Wesley defines it to be 
"a voluntary transgression of a known law." Dr. Miley defines 
it thus, "Sin is disobedience to a law of God, conditional on 
free moral agency and opportunity of knowing the law." The 
idea of free moral agency underlies all these definitions; and 



76 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

hence also the doctrine of individual responsibility. In treat- 
ing on the doctrine of inherent depravity, we are not to under- 
stand that the guilt of Adam's sin is transmitted to his posterity, 
but as a result of his sin we are born into the world with a cor- 
rupt nature. 

Dr. Miley concludes his arguments on depravity as follows: 
"We have ever held the doctrine of a common native depravity ; 
that this depravity is in itself a moral ruin ; and that there is 
no power in us by nature unto a good life. But through a uni- 
versal atonement there is a universal grace — the light and help 
of the Holy Spirit in every soul. If we are born with a corrupt 
nature in descent from Adam, we receive our existence under an 
economy of redemption with a measure of the grace of Christ. 
With such grace, which shall receive increase on its proper use, 
we may turn unto the Lord and be saved." 

No fact in Bible history is more clearly established than the 
literal fall of man. The creation of the heaven and earth ; the 
# creation of man; the planting of the Garden of Eden; and 
placing man in this garden, were all literal transactions. Some 
men claim that the account of the fall of man is only an allegory. 
If this is an allegory, then the historical account of the creation ; 
the formation of man ; the planting of the garden in Eden, and 
placing man in it is all an allegory, for the one is just as literal 
as the other. There is a series of historical events all linked to- 
gether in such a manner that we cannot separate them into facts 
and allegories. God formed man of the dust of the ground, 
and planted a garden, and put the man whom he had formed in 
the garden. (Gen. 2:7, 8.) Now if the Mosaic account of 
the garden and of the fall of man in the garden is an allegory, 
then the account of the creation of man is an allegory, and this 
would leave us without any literal account of the origin of man. 

By the fall of man we are to understand the loss of purity, 
innocency, and the peace and happiness which his Creator had 



MAN, ORIGIN AND FALL 77 

"bestowed upon him. The history of the fall of man is a part of 
the continuous history of creation as written by Moses. If the 
account of the fall is not a literal history, then the "historical 
character of the whole five books of Moses must be unsettled." 
The fact that the fall of man, as given by Moses, is referred to 
and reasoned upon in various parts of the Scripture proves that 
it was literal. We will name a few passages : "If like Adam I 
covered my transgressions' (Job 31:33). There is a direct 
allusion to the fall. Adam transgressed the law of his Creator, 
and sought to conceal it by hiding among the trees of the garden. 
What meaning could we attach to this scripture if we deny the 
literal fall of man ? "But I fear, lest by any means, as the ser- 
pent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be cor- 
rupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ" 
(II. Cor. 11 : 3). "And Adam was not beguiled, but the woman 
being beguiled hath fallen into transgression" (I. Tim. 2 : 14). 
Also, Matt. 19: 4, I. Cor. 15: 22, Rom. 5: 12-19. These pas- 
sages are not introduced and used by the sacred writers as mere 
rhetorical illustrations, but as literal, historical facts. They 
often refer to the history of creation, and what immediately fol- 
lowed, and "made it the basis of grave and important reason- 
ings," which they would not have done if they had understood 
it to be nothing more than a myth. We are compelled to admit 
that our Lord and his apostles treated the history of the fall of 
man as a literal fact. 

When God, in his infinite wisdom, determined to create man, 
he determined to make him a moral agent, capable of perform- 
ing action, and subject to law, or a rule of action. The law 
given to Adam was plain and simple ; it was for no other pur- 
pose than a test of obedience. The sin was not in the tree, nor 
in the fruit, but in the action of the will. They willed to dis- 
obey. 

The effect of the fall — depravity. The question to be cod- 



78 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

sidered under this head is this, Did Adam's transgression affect 
his posterity ? Unitarians say that it did not. The Holy Scrip- 
tures, observation, and our own consciousness must settle this 
question. We believe "that man, apart from the grace of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, is fallen from original righteousness, and 
is not only entirely destitute of holiness, but is inclined to evil, 
and only evil, and that continually." 

In proof of this fundamental doctrine we turn to the Word of 
God. "For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God" 
(Rom. 3:23). "Therefore, as through one man sin entered 
into the world, and death through sin ; and so death passed unto 
all men, for that all sinned" (Rom. 5:12). "Howbeit the 
scripture hath shut up all things under sin, that the promise by 
faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe" 
(Gal. 3:22). In these passages the following truths are af- 
firmed: (1) that "all have sinned"; (2) all are included 
under sin; (3) that sin is as universal as death. The apostle 
declares that "death passed upon all," and assigns as the reason 
for this, "that all have sinned." The fall in Adam involved the 
whole race of mankind. The sum of the apostle's argument is 
that as sure as death passed upon all, then all were affected by 
the fall. "The penalty of the Adamic law was death, temporal, 
spiritual, and eternal/' The objector may say that infants have 
not sinned "after the similitude of Adam's transgression." 
Very true; they are not guilty before God, but in the eye of 
the law they are included in the "all" that sinned in Adam; 
else they would have been exempt from death. The fact that 
infants die proves that death passed upon all; and if death 
passed upon all, then in the eye of the law all must be considered 
as having sinned. "Death passed upon all, for that all have 
sinned." "The scripture hath concluded all under sin." 

He who denies the doctrine of human depravity as the effect 
of the fall in Adam must close the Bible, set at naught his own 



MAN, ORIGIN AND FALL 79 

experience, and shut his eves to the world around him. Some 
deny the doctrine of depravity altogether; others deny it in 
part. The Scriptures must settle this question. From this in- 
fallible standard we shall endeavor to show that "mankind are 
by nature so depraved as to be totally destitute of all spiritual 
good, and inclined only to evil continually/' The sum of the 
divine law is love — love to God and our neighbor. Depravity is 
the absence of this love and the spirit of obedience. This ab- 
sence of love and of the spirit of obedience in the unrenewed 
soul is as universal as the race of mankind. 

"The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray 
as soon as they be born, speaking lies" (Ps. 58: 3, 4). By this 
passage we are taught that this estrangement, going astray, and 
speaking lies is a natural, and not an acquired disposition. It 
inheres in our fallen nature. "The heart is deceitful above all 
things, and it is desperately sick: who can know it?" (Jer. 
17: 9.) The unrenewed heart is so full of deceit and wicked- 
ness that even the owner of it cannot know it. If this is not a 
total absence of all spiritual good, in what language could the 
Lord teach it ? A heart that is deceitful above all things and 
desperately wicked could scarcely contain love to God and a 
spirit of obedience to the divine law. 

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity ; and in sin did my mother 
conceive me" (Ps. 51:5). In this passage the psalmist evi- 
dently has reference to the natural propensity to evil, which 
every one brings into the world with him. Upon this passage 
Dr. Gill says, "David does not say, my sin and my iniquity, 
though it was his being, his nature; but sin and iniquity in 
being that was common to him and the rest of mankind, and 
therefore must designate the original corruption of his nature." 
If, as some teach, all are born into the world pure and holy, it 
would be most reasonable to expect that some would retain that 
native purity. A few such examples would go far in disprov- 



SO CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

ing the doctrine of total depravity. But the combined verdict 
of the Bible, observation, and experience is that "all have sin- 
ned," "all have gone astray," "all are under sin." "And the 
Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and 
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only 
evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). "For that the imagination of 
man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen. 8: 21). Are all the 
evils in the human soul acquired? Would such evil thoughts 
continually flow from a pure soul ? If by nature we are pure 
and holy, whence in every case these evil thoughts ? Does bit- 
ter water flow from a pure fountain ? If the fountain is pure, 
the stream flowing from it will be pure. In these passages God 
declares that the "imagination of the thoughts of his heart is 
only evil continually," and that it is so, "from his youth/' Now 
if God had said that the "imagination of the thoughts of his 
heart is only good continually, from his youth/' it would be 
a powerful text in the hands of those who reject the doctrine of 
inherent depravity. Or, if David had said, "Behold, I was 
shapen in righteousness, and in holiness did my mother con- 
ceive me," it would be urged as direct proof of the original 
purity of the race. "For if by the trespass of the one the many 
died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of 
the one man, Jesus Christ, abound unto the many" (Rom. 5:15, 
16). The evident meaning of this passage is that all mankind 
was lost in Adam. By the trespass of the one, many died, as 
the result of one man's disobedience. If all were not condemned 
in Adam, then all did not need redemption in Jesus Christ. 
Christ came to save that which was lost; now if all were not 
lost, then all did not need redemption. If there is a soul in 
which nothing was lost, then that soul needs no salvation. "Sin 
having entered the world by the disobedience of Adam, and its 
evil being of such a nature as to admit of seminal communica- 
tion, we are born in a depraved condition, and instinctively 



MAN, ORIGIN AND FALL 81 

grow up to love and practice sin." a The whole head is sick, 
and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to 
the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds, and bruises, 
and putrefying sores." All history, sacred and profane, ob- 
servation and experience, unite in testifying that the depravity 
of the human race is universal. "For to will is present with 
me, but to do that which is good is not. For the good which I 
would I do not : but the evil which I would not, that I practise. 
But if what I would not, that I do, it is no more I that do it, 
but sin which dwelleth in me" (Rom. 7: 18-20). The affirma- 
tion of the apostle is, that he could will to do good, but could not 
perform it. Now, if all who are born into the world are pure 
and holy, it is certainly very strange that Paul could not find in 
himself the moral power to do good. But why could he not do 
what he willed to do? He says it was because of indwelling 
sin. That indwelling sin was not his volition. The will was 
right, but the moral power was wanting. "It is no more I that 
do it, but sin which dwelleth in me" "My will is against it, but 
sin that dwelleth in me, has possessed itself of all my carnal 
appetites and passions, and domineers over my soul." Let it 
be particularly observed that the apostle does not speak of this 
sin as something acquired, but inherent. It was sin that dwelt 
in him. The fact is that "the native tendency of the human 
heart is invariably to sin; so much so that in no case can it 
be counteracted but by the crucifixion of the old man." "Be- 
cause the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is 
not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be" (Rom. 
8:7). This is a solemn declaration. The carnal mind is 
against God. It is not, and cannot be subject to his law. It 
is enmity in itself. But whence this enmity? Is it simply a 
creature of education ? Something acquired ? If so, why do all 
men go astray? If all come into the world pure, why do not 
some of them grow up in the fear of God ? Of the millions of 



82 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

children which grow up in Christian families and are educated 
under Christian influences, it would seem most reasonable to 
expect that some of them would grow up in the fear and love of 
God. But the fact that all go astray is strong presumptive evi- 
dence that all come into the world with a natural bias to do evil. 
Not one is born into the world either wise or good. "Wisdom 
and virtue require a tutor, but we can easily learn to be vicious 
without a master." We know this to be true, but why is it so % 
Can any man give a better reason than Paul does ? "The carnal 
mind is enmity against God." This is the natural and inherent 
state of the soul. 

The Scriptures teach in many ways, positive and inferential, 
that man by nature is estranged from God. "There is none 
righteous, no, not one ; there is none that understandeth, there 
is none that seeketh after God ; they have all turned aside, they 
are together become unprofitable ; there is none that doeth good, 
no, not so much as one" (Rom. 3: 10-12). All those passages 
that teach the necessity of regeneration teach also the doctrine 
of depravity. If the latter be not true, the former would not 
be necessary. (John 3:3-8; I. John 2 : 29.) 



CHAPTEK X. 

THE FREE MORAL AGENCY OF MAN. 

The free moral agency of man is a question of vast impor- 
tance, and ought to be studied with great care. Eternal conse- 
quences are directly involved in this question. What am 1 1 
and what is my individual responsibility to God and my fellow- 
beings ? are questions of solemn import. We shall undertake 
to show that man is a free moral agent. 

That there are mysteries connected with the doctrine of free 
moral agency no one will question; but that is no argument 
against the fact. Our own consciousness affirms it. The will 
is not automatic — capable of self-action; it is a faculty of the 
mind, but in some way or another it inheres in our personality. 
The mind, with all its faculties, is the personal agent, and the 
will is a faculty of the mind. The will is free, and yet it is 
bound. Paul says, "To will is present with me; but how to 
perform that which is good I find not." Dr. Clarke, in his com- 
ment upon this passage, says: "The apostle shows that the will 
is on the side of God and truth so far that it consents to the 
propriety and necessity of obedience. . . . The will is 
right, but the passions are wrong." Dr. Pope says : "The wilL 
is necessarily free, by the very term, and consciousness asserts 
this. The theological meaning of bondage is that the unrenewed 
man has no power as yet to do what he wills. Hence the man 
who has the free will is bound." Herein lies the mystery; to 
be free and yet bound. 

If the will were the whole mind, it would be an easy matte]' 
to settle the whole question of free moral agency. But the mind 



84 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

has other faculties. It "perceives, remembers, reasons, and 
feels." All these faculties are usable and inhere in the person- 
ality, and together constitute the personal agency of man ; and 
hence, also, the individual responsibility of each. Free moral 
agency does not consist in the use of any one of the faculties of 
the mind. Dr. Miley says, "Freedom lies, not in the constituent 
faculties of our personality, but in our power of freely using 
them in personal action." I may will to raise my hand, but the 
simple action of the will does not raise it ; there must be a cer- 
tain amount of muscle force brought into use in order to raise 
it. A man with a palsied arm might will to raise it, but could 
he ? So the action of the will in and of itself does not constitute 
free moral agency. All the faculties of the mind inhere in the 
personality, and in that personality is the power of personal 
action — or free moral agency. 

"When we say that the will wills, we really mean that the 
entire soul or self wills. It is the man who wills, and his will 
is simply his power or ability to will, and the free will is really 
the man free in willing; so it is the man, the soul, the self, that 
perceives, feels, and thinks. The faculties are not so many divi- 
sions of the soul itself, but rather so many classes of the soul's 
operations, and the soul viewed as capable of being the subject 
of them. When, therefore, we speak of will, we do not speak 
of a separate, blind, unintelligent agent, but of the whole intelli- 
gent soul, engaged in, and capable of volitional actions. It is 
in no way a separate substance or agent." 

In adopting the doctrine of the free moral agency of man, 
the question is asked as to whether it does not ascribe too much 
to the human will. Dr. Pope says : "It adopts strictly the lan- 
guage and tone of the New Testament, and leaves the unfathom- 
able with God. It simply agrees with every sound theory of 
religion or philosophy in making the will necessarily free, but 
swayed by the character of the man that uses it. It asserts that 



THE FREE MORAL AGENCY OF MAN 85 

the sinner has grace given to him which he must reject if he 
turns not to God; that he calls none to obey without giving 
them grace sufficient, if rightly used, to enable them to obey." 

In adopting the language and tone of the Scriptures, we shall 
find that the will is made prominent in the "power of rational 
self-action" ; not that it stands alone in the matter of free moral 
agency, but in some respects it is superior to any other faculty 
of the mind in the matter of salvation. 

By free moral agency, then, we mean simply the power to 
choose between good and evil. We do not mean freedom in an 
absolute sense. God only is absolutely free and independent. 
The power in man to choose good or evil is derived from his 
Creator. Man acts, not from necessity, but from choice. "He 
is indued with self-active power, and is therefore the author of 
his own acts." 

1. That man is a free moral agent may be established from 
his own consciousness. Every man is conscious that he has 
within himself the power to choose. He knows that he is not 
compelled by any necessity within him to act as he does. He is 
perfectly conscious that he might have done differently. What- 
ever theory we may advocate, we can never get away from our 
consciousness. "Philosophy, falsely so called, may puzzle the 
intellect or confuse the understanding, but still the conviction 
comes upon every man with resistless force, that he has within 
himself the power of choice. He feels that he exercises this 
power." 

While there is to us an inexplicable mystery between the sov- 
ereignty of God and the free moral agency of man, we acknowl- 
edge them both, and know that in the divine economy of salva- 
tion there is the most perfect harmony. If there had been no 
interposition the fall in Adam would have resulted in the com- 
plete enslavement of the will ; but under the covenant of grace, 
through a Mediator, he is free to choose between life and death. 



8G CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

A degree of grace is given to man, which, if properly used, will 
enable him to choose. Herein lies man's individual responsi- 
bility as a free moral agent. 

2. The doctrine of free moral agency is abundantly taught 
in the Scriptures. 

(1) The very condition in which man was placed in the world 
proves that he was, and is a free moral agent. He was made the 
subject of moral law. To place an intelligent being under moral 
law, and hold him responsible for his acts, and then withhold 
from him the power to keep that law, is neither wise, just, nor 
good. The history of the creation and fall of man, and of the 
consequences of that fall, proves that he was, and is now, a free 
moral agent. 

(2) The doctrine of man's free moral agency is clearly proven 
by all those passages in the holy Scriptures which teach that he 
is capable of choosing. "I call heaven and earth to witness 
against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, 
the blessing and the curse : therefore choose life, that thou may- 
est live, thou and thy seed" (Deut. 30: 19). "Choose you this 
day whom ye will serve" (Josh. 24 : 15). If they had not power 
within themselves to choose, it was solemn mockery to submit 
to them such a proposition, "Choose you this day" If they had 
power to choose, and the language implies it, then they were free 
moral agents. 

When we speak of the power to choose, it is always to be un- 
derstood that a sufficient measure of grace is given to choose, 
and obey, if the grace is properly used. Man has no power in 
himself to obey. Paul says, "The mind of the flesh is enmity 
against God ; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither in- 
deed can it be." But for the grace which God bestows upon every 
soul, no man would be saved. The power to choose the right 
comes from God, as a free right. Man, abstract of this grace, is 
totally, and hopelessly lost; but by using it properly he can, 



TEE FREE MORAL AGENCY OF MAN 87 

and will be saved. Concerning the sovereignty of grace and 
the freedom of man, there is a mystery. Dr. Pope says, "It is 
a hopeless, if not irreverent task to attempt a reconciliation be- 
tween the undoubted sovereignty of grace and the equally un- 
doubted freedom and responsibility of man." We know both are 
true, our own consciousness affirms it, but the whys and where- 
fores we may not be able to give. If we say that the "doctrine 
of native depravity involves a moral hopelessness, we must set 
over against it the helping grace of a universal atonement." 

(3) In further proof of the doctrine of man's free moral 
agency we will name a few of the many passages which plainly 
teach that the salvation of the soul is conditional. "And behold, 
one came to him and said, Master, what good thing shall I do, 
that I may have eternal life % And he said unto him, Why ask- 
est thou me concerning that which is good ? One there is who is 
good : but if thou wouldest enter into life, keep the command- 
ments" (Matt. 19 : 16, 17). "He that believeth and is baptized 
shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned" 
(Mark 16: 16). "And ye will not come to me, that ye may 
have life" (John 5:40). "How often would I have gathered 
thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens 
under her wings, and ye would not !" (Matt. 23 : 37). "He that 
will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22 : 17). These 
passages teach as plainly as language can teach anything that 
salvation is conditional. "Ye will not,'* "Ye would not" imply 
the power of choice. If they had no power to decide on this 
question, why complain of them for not obeying? Every sen- 
tence in these passages goes to establish the free moral agency 
of man. 

(4) If man is not a free moral agent, and if he acts only 
ifrom necessity, why point out to him in solemn warning the 
danger of being lost ? If he has no power to choose between life 
and death, why intimate to him that he is responsible ? Indi- 



88 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

vidual responsibility rests with the power to choose. "Enter 
ye in by the narrow gate : for wide is the gate, and broad is the 
way, that leadeth to destruction, and many be they that enter 
in thereby. For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, 
that leadeth unto life, and few be they that find it" (Matt. 7 : 13, 
14). "But he that disbelieveth shall be condemned" (Mark 
16: 16). If the acts of men do not result from their moral 
agency, then they cannot in justice be held responsible for their 
acts. If they go in the broad way, it is from necessity ; and if 
they go in the narrow way, it is from the same cause. If they 
have no choice, why did the Saviour urge them to "enter in at 
the strait gate" ? 

(5) All the promises of the gospel are conditional, which im- 
plies free moral agency. "Now on the last day, the great day of 
the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let 
him come unto me, and drink" (John 7: 37). "He that will, 
let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22: 17). "That 
whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal 
life" (John 3: 16). "Come unto me, . . . and I will give 
you rest" (Matt. 11:28). The responsibility of accepting or 
rejecting these and similar gracious invitations rests upon man ; 
and wherever there is responsibility there is free moral agency ; 
they cannot in the very nature of things be separated. If man 
acted from necessity, he could not in justice be held responsible 
for his acts. Aside from every other argument, our own indi- 
vidual consciousness affirms that we act from choice. We feel 
that we could have done differently from what we did. No mat- 
ter whether we understand all the mysteries involved in God's 
sovereignty and man's responsibility, we know that we have 
power to choose as between right and wrong. 

(6) The future destiny of mankind depends upon their con- 
duct in this life. If man acts only from necessity, he should 
not in justice be held responsible for his behavior in this life. 



TEE FREE MORAL AGENCY OF MAN 89 

Every attribute of the Deity cries out against rewarding or pun- 
ishing mankind for doing what they could not by any possibility 
avoid. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begot- 
ten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but 
have eternal life" (John 3:16). "Whosoever believeth." 
"Whosoever will." The language clearly implies 'power to 
choose, power to act. Now mark the result. In the one case he 
shall "perish," and in the other he shall have "eternal life." 
Here life and death are presented, and the command is to 
"choose life," "For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the 
flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall 
of the Spirit reap eternal life" (Gal. 6:8). "Whatsoever a 
man soweth, that shall he also reap." This is a solemn truth. 
Seedtime and harvest. Now and then. But has man no voli- 
tion — no power to choose what he sows ? Must he from neces- 
sity sow to the flesh ? If from necessity, is he responsible for 
the harvest ? If God is just, he will neither reward nor punish 
any intelligent creature for doing what he could not help. 

Dr. Miley says : "Personal agency is the ground truth. This 
agency must be a reality, else there can be no place for the ques- 
tion of freedom. If a reality, it must have all requisite facul- 
ties. Then freedom should no longer be a question in issue. Its 
denial involves a denial of personal agency in man. Personal 
agency and free agency are the same. For required choices, 
sufficient motives are within our command. This is rational 
freedom. . . . It is the freedom of personal agency with 
power for required choices." 

From our own consciousness, from reason, and the plain 
teaching of God's Word, we can conclude that man is a free 
moral agent, and therefore properly the author of his own acts, 
and responsible for the same. Let every man prayerfully con- 
sider his individual responsibility to God. 



CHAPTER XL 

IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. 

Is the soul of man immortal ? Will it survive the dissolu- 
tion of the body % Does death end all % Is there a life beyond 
for man? Here are questions of vast importance to us. ISTo 
intelligent man can review these questions without deep solici- 
tude. This life is short and uncertain. Eternity comes on. 
After death, what? The great majority of the ancient philos- 
ophers and poets entertained the notion that man, in some form, 
would exist after death. Lord Bolingbroke says that "the doc- 
trine of the immortality of the soul, and a future state of re- 
wards and punishments, began to be taught before we have any 
light into antiquity. And when we begin to have any, we find 
it established that it was strongly inculcated from time im- 
memorial, and as early as the most ancient and learned nations 
appear to us." While the opinions of such men as Lord Boling- 
broke may be very objectionable, their statements as to matters 
of fact are worthy of confidence. It is a fact that the Scythians, 
Indians, Gauls, Britons, as well as the Greeks and Romans, be- 
lieved in a future state. Their ideas, for the most part, were 
very much confused, still they could not get rid of the conscious 
conviction that something remained for man after this life. 
They were equally confused and uncertain concerning the na- 
ture of the soul. Dr. Leland says, "Some said it was the 
blood, others the heart, others the brain, others breath, others 
fire, others said it was harmony, others that it was number, 
others that it was of a threefold nature, of which the rational 
soul is the principle ; others supposed it to be the fifth essence." 
Vague and unsatisfactory as their notions were, they neverthe- 

90 



IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL 91 

less held to the opinion that there was something in man that 
did not fully inhere in matter. Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, 
Cicero, and Plutarch believed in the immortality of the soul of 
man, and often gave expression to their belief; but being un- 
aided by a revelation from God direct, they were confused, and 
sometimes taught contrary to it. With the majority of the old 
philosophers the case stood thus: When they followed their 
own intuitions they expressed their belief in the immortality 
of the soul, but when they descended to their cold, abstract rea- 
soning, they could not prove it, and therefore sometimes seemed 
to reject it. This is clearly brought out in the last hours of 
Socrates. When he was near his end, he expressed the hope that 
he would go to good men after death. "But this," he says, "I 
would not absolutely affirm." In his heart he felt assured that 
there was something beyond, but as a philosopher, unaided by a 
revelation from God, he could not prove it. 

Materialists of almost every school are inclined to treat the 
testimony of individual consciousness very lightly in matters of 
religion. Yet they find it no easy task to account for its origin, 
and universality. It cannot be charged to tradition, for as far 
back as we can trace the history of man we find this belief. 
Whence and how did the first man receive this intuitive con- 
viction ? It cannot be charged to the light and influence of the 
Scriptures, for it was believed long before the Scriptures were 
written. It is, and always has been believed by nations and peo- 
ples that never had the Scriptures. Whence, then, this uni- 
versal belief. Cicero said, "Vox populi, Vox Dei" — "The voice 
of the people is the voice of God." May there not be a deeper 
meaning in this than we are wont to allow ? When God breathed 
into man the breath of life (lives), and he became a living soul, 
he breathed into that soul the consciousness of himself, and the 
consciousness of itself. In no other way can we account for the 
origin and universal belief in the existence of God and the 



92 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

immortality of the soul. It comes from God, so that in this 
deeper sense, the voice of the people is the voice of God. 

I. In direct proof of the immortality of the soul of man, we 
may, in the first place, mention some mental phenomena which 
cannot be accounted for on the hypothesis that man is altogether 
mortal. There are but two primary substances in the universe 
known to philosophers; these are matter and spirit. Every- 
thing within the range of human thought may be traced to one 
or the other of these substances. Matter is known by certain 
properties, and spirit by certain phenomena. If man is alto- 
gether mortal, then every property and phenomenon must be ac- 
counted for from a materialistic standpoint. If there are phe- 
nomena in man that do not inhere in matter, then they are not 
matter, and must belong to spirit. Our limits will permit us to 
do but little more than name these mental phenomena : 

1. The phenomenon of will, or volition. Every intelligent 
man is conscious that he wills ; but no man is conscious that he 
wills with the hand or foot. He is perfectly conscious that he 
does not. If volition is a property of matter, then it must in- 
here in all matter. Inertia is a property of matter, and it is not 
capable of self-action. If it be said that the power of volition 
is in the brain, we answer that the brain is matter, and is no 
more capable of self-action than the hand or foot. It is absurd 
to suppose that the brain wills. Inertia is as much a property 
of the brain as it is of the hand. But we possess some power by 
which the muscles are put in motion. It is not a power that in- 
heres in matter, but in something above matter, and that some- 
thing we call mind. We may lay this down as a grand truth 
that "the mind of each man is the man." 

2. The phenomenon of memory. This is a noble power in 
man. But for this faculty the whole world, with all it includes, 
would be but a succession of ideas, without the possibility of 
improvement. But we do remember. Think a moment of the 



IMMORTALITY OF TEE SOUL 93 

vast number of thoughts and ideas the mind is capable of retain- 
ing. Now observe that the brain is matter, and if memory is 
only a property of matter, then thought and ideas are matter, 
and as all matter occupies more or less space, it is impossible to 
conceive how the human brain could gather and retain as many 
ideas and thoughts as it does. Think of the vast attainments of 
such men as Newton, Bacon, Butler, and Locke ; of the ten thou- 
sand thoughts and ideas gathered up and retained within the 
small compass of the brain; and then assume that the human 
mind is nothing but matter, and we are left in mid-ocean with- 
out a single principle of philosophy to sustain us. 

It is generally admitted that the human body is continually 
undergoing changes, and in the course of a few years the whole 
body has changed. Every particle of the body, including the 
brain, passes away, and new matter occupies the place. Now, 
if memory is a property of matter, it, too, must pass away, and 
hence it would be impossible to retain any thoughts, ideas, or 
knowledge that we obtained or possessed years ago. But every 
intelligent man knows that he does retain ideas, thoughts, and 
knowledge which he obtained years ago. Therefore, we con- 
clude that memory is not, and cannot be a property of matter. 

3. The 'phenomenon of intelligence. This is a very strong 
argument in favor of the immortality of the soul. Every man 
is conscious that he thinks, but no man is conscious that he 
thinks with his hand or foot. The simple question to be con- 
sidered is this, What thinks ? "It is as absurd to suppose that 
a brain thinks as that an eye sees or a finger feels. If the nerve 
be paralyzed, there is no vision, though the eye be perfect." If 
the power to think and reason is a property of matter, then it 
must be a property of all matter, and that which does not think 
is not matter. "If anything essential to matter be taken away, 
it must cease to be matter, and if something be added which is 
not essential, that something must have its own essential prop- 



94 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

erties as a separate identity or substance, and can form no part 
of matter ; and if that something which is supposed to be added 
be thought, it is not matter that thinks, but something added to 
it." If it is matter or a property of matter that thinks, then it 
must be essential to matter, and if it is essential to matter, it 
must inhere in all matter. One of two things, then, must be 
true ; either all matter thinks, or else that which does not think 
is not matter. The only reasonable conclusion is, that man is 
not altogether mortal, but that "a rational soul is joined to mat- 
ter, and that it is the soul that thinks, and not matter." 

4. The phenomenon of conscious identity. There is no ar- 
gument outside of the Word of God that more directly proves 
the immortality of the soul than that of conscious identity. The 
presumption that the ego cannot exist without this particular 
body is absurd. No matter what theory we advocate, we cannot 
get away from the fact of conscious identity. We know that the 
body is continually undergoing changes. Vast changes some- 
times occur in a very short time, but the man at seventy is con- 
scious that he is the same person he was forty years before. He 
is not conscious that the same particles of matter belong to his 
body that were there forty years before ; indeed, he has the very 
best reason to believe that it is not so, yet he is conscious that he 
is the very identical person he was before. Now, if conscious- 
ness is a property of matter, then of course it is the body, or 
some part of the body, that is conscious of its own identity. But 
how can this be, since every part of the body is continually un- 
dergoing changes ? "Does the body consist of the same particles 
of matter now that it did years ago ? Certainly not ; the waste 
has been supplied with new matter, and yet the person is con- 
scious of having preserved his identity in spite of all the changes 
which have taken place in his body. He is certain that he that 
thinks and feels now is he that thought and felt before these 
changes took place. This proves that the conscious mind, which 



IMMORTALITY OF TEE SOUL 95 

preserves its identity amid all the changes of the body, is not 
the body." If the mind, or that which thinks, were the body, or 
any part of the body, this constant change which is going on in 
the body would necessarily destroy all conscious identity. But 
the ego lives from childhood to old age. 

3. The phenomenon of desire. If man is altogether mortal, 
it would be most reasonable to suppose that in the material uni- 
verse he could find enough to satisfy every aspiration. But this, 
as every rational person knows, is not the case. Wealth, honor, 
power, pleasure, and education have been tested in all the ages 
and among all people, and have failed. There is not enough in 
all material things to satisfy the aspirations of one soul. The 
reason is that the soul is not matter, but spirit, and can find sat- 
isfaction in nothing less than that eternal Spirit that formed it. 
Add to this innate desire of the soul for something more and 
better than can be found in the material universe its vast powers 
for improvement, and you have an argument in favor of the im- 
mortality of the soul which no man can gainsay. Dissatisfac- 
tion with what we are and with our environments is ever present 
with us. There are within us aspirations that all material 
things cannot supply. Solomon in all his glory was not satisfied. 
Again and again he said, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." A 
great thinker said: "Give a man half a universe, and he will 
at once quarrel with the holder of the other half. What he needs 
is God's infinite universe all to himself." From the history of 
mankind the evidences are that the possession of the whole ma- 
terial universe would not satisfy that something within. What 
does this all mean ? Have the gods dealt kindly with us in plant- 
ing within aspirations and longings which can never be realized ? 
The psalmist opens the door and lets in a flood of light when 
he says, "As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness : I 
shall he satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness/' That 
means immortality and life bevond. 



93 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

II. We turn now to the Scriptures for direct proof. We 
can give only a few of the many passages bearing on this ques- 
tion. First from the Old Testament: "But I know that my 
redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand up at the last upon the 
earth: and after my skin hath been thus destroyed, yet from 
my flesh shall I see God : whom I shall see for myself, and 
mine eyes shall behold, and not another. My reins are con- 
sumed within me" (Job 19 : 25-27). "As for me I shall behold 
thy face in righteousness" (Ps. 17: 15). "My flesh also shall 
dwell in safety. For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol [the 
grave] ; neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one [ones] to see 
corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy pres- 
ence is fulness of joy ; in thy right hand there are pleasures for 
evermore" (Ps. 16:9-11). "Yea, though I walk through the 
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil ; for thou art 
with me" (Ps. 23 : 4). "Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, 
and afterward receive me to glory" (Ps. 73 : 24). 

Let it be remembered that the Old Testament saints believed 
in a future state, the resurrection of the body, and the immor- 
tality of the soul. These three points of doctrine hang together, 
and mutually imply each other. Remove these three thoughts, 
or any one of them from these, and kindred passages, and they 
are meaningless. While the immortality of the soul is not in 
so many words affirmed in these passages, yet the whole bearing 
is in that doctrine. If man is altogether mortal, if there is noth- 
ing remaining for him after this life, how are we to interpret 
these passages % Were the sacred writers mistaken ? or did they 
intend to deceive ? We cannot allow either one, for "holy men 
of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 

"The days of our years are threescore years and ten, or 
even by reason of strength fourscore years; yet is their 
pride but labour and sorrow; for it is soon gone, and we fly 
away" (Ps. 90: 10). What flies away? Not the life, for it is 



IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL 97 

cut off. "We fly away." Now, if it be true that the whole man 
dies when the body dies, in what sense can it be said that he flies 
away? Does laying the body in the grave convey the idea of 
flying away ? "And they that be wise shall shine as the bright- 
ness of the firmament ; and they that turn many to righteous- 
ness as the stars for ever and ever" (Dan. 12: 3). When and 
where is this shining to take place ? Not in this world, for men 
do not live forever and ever here. It cannot be in the grave, for 
men do not shine in the grave. It must be in another life and in 
another world. "And the dust return to the earth as it was, and 
the spirit return unto God who gave it" (Eccl. 12:7). By 
the dust returning to the earth, the writer evidently refers to 
death and the dissolution of the body. But the spirit returns to 
God. This, without any argument, proves that the soul does 
not return to the dust with the body. 

We will give a few passages from the New Testament. It is 
well to remember that the Jews, except the Sadducees, believed 
in the immortality of the soul. The texts, therefore, that we 
may give should be considered in the light of this fact. 

"And be not afraid of them which kill the body, but are not 
able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to de- 
stroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10: 28). A similar 
passage may be found in Luke 12 : 4, 5. These passages teach 
that the body and soul are not the same, and that the soul does 
not die with the body. If it were true that man is altogether 
mortal, then, to kill the body would kill the soul also. Jesus 
says, men can kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. 
How would a Jew that believed in the immortality of the soul 
most likely understand the words of Christ ? "But as touching 
the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was 
spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, 
and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the 



98 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

God of the dead, but of the living" (Matt. 22: 31, 32). Our 
Lord links these two great doctrines together, the immortality of 
the soul and the resurrection of the body. The bodies of these 
patriarchs had been dead for many centuries. The argument 
from this text may be stated thus : God is not the God of the 
dead, but of the living ; but God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob, and therefore they must be living. But as their 
bodies were dead, it must have been their souls that were living. 
This is the only reasonable interpretation that can be given to 
this text. "Our Lord," says Dr. Clarke, "combats and confutes 
another opinion of the Sadducees, namely, that there is neither 
angel nor spirit, by showing that the soul is not only immortal, 
but lives with God, even while the body is detained in the dust 
of the earth." 

The history of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16: 22, 23) 
is proof positive of the conscious existence of the soul after 
death. If, as some claim, this is only a parable, we answer that 
the force of the argument is not thereby weakened in the least. 
For, if it be a parable, it is founded upon a fact, or a possible 
fact ; or, it is pure fiction. Our Lord would not resort to fiction 
on a question of such solemn moment. All the parables used by 
our Saviour were founded on facts, or possible facts. The great 
moral lesson taught in the history of the rich man and Lazarus 
is. (1) that heaven and hell lie beyond this world ; (2) that man 
has a conscious existence after the death of the body. "And 
behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with 
him" (Matt. 17: 3). Moses had been dead and buried fifteen 
hundred years, the account of which is given in Deut. 31 : 5, 6. 
The fact, then, that he appeared fifteen hundred years after the 
death of the body is very direct proof that the soul has a con- 
scious existence after the death of the body. "To-day shalt thou 
be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23 : 43). The grave is not para- 
dise. At the time these words were spoken both our Lord and 



IMMORTALITY OF TEE SOUL 99 

the thief were about to die, for very shortly after these words 
were spoken our Saviour said, "Father, into thy hands I com- 
mend my spirit: and having said this he gave up the ghost" 
(Luke 23 : 46). Now observe the promise. "To-day shalt thou 
be with me in Paradise." They were not together in the 
grave. Paradise, therefore, must be interpreted to mean a place 
of happiness, and that, too, after death. They both died, and 
Jesus commended his spirit to the Father. Wherever the spirit 
of Jesus went, the spirit, or soul, of the thief went. They were 
together that day in 'paradise. If they were not, the promise 
was not fulfilled. If they were together that day in paradise, 
and Jesus said it should be so, then the conscious existence of the 
soul after the death of the body is clearly established. "Lord 
Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7 : 59). Just before the martyr 
used these words (verse 56), he said, "I see the heavens opened, 
and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." Thus 
with the heavens opened before him, he exclaimed, "Lord Jesus, 
receive my spirit." Christ did not receive the body of Stephen 
up into heaven; and if the soul dies with the body, there was 
nothing to be received into heaven, and the dying martyr was 
mistaken. 

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ?" (Rom. 8 : 
35). In this connection, the apostle affirms, in answer to 
this question, that there is nothing that could separate us from 
the love of Christ, not even death. But if death destroys all 
conscious existence of the body and soul, then the apostle affirms 
what is not true. 

"For we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be 
dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with 
hands, eternal, in the heavens. . . . Being therefore al- 
ways of good courage, and knowing that, whilst we are at home 
in the body, we are absent from the Lord. . . . We are of 



100 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the 
body, and to be at home with the Lord" (II. Cor. 5:1, 6, 8). 
"But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to de- 
part and be with Christ" (Phil. 1: 23). What does the apostle 
mean '? "To die is gain," "To be at home in the body," "To be 
absent from the body," "To be with Christ," "To depart." Ke- 
move from all these passages the thought of the conscious exist- 
ence of the soul after the death of the body, and what meaning 
can we attach to his language ? "To depart and be with Christ." 
Where ? Not in the grave, for the angel said he was not there, 
but was risen from the dead. Paul affirms that Christ was "re- 
ceived up into glory." Then to be with Christ is to be in 
glory. 

It is in harmony with our highest conceptions of the wisdom, 
goodness, and benevolence of God that he should provide for the 
future happiness of his children. Jesus said, "I go to prepare a 
place for you." The arrangements are all made; the future 
home of the pure in heart is ready. Ample provisions to satisfy 
the aspirations of the soul are all provided. "In my Father's 
house are many mansions." God, immortality, heaven — these 
three words express and imply all the soul will ever need or 
want. 

Concerning the importance of man's future existence, Dr. 
Miley says: "Without the truth of immortality, the deepest, 
divinest verities of Christianity must be denied. jNo place 
can remain for a divine incarnation in the person of the Son of 
God, as for an atonement for sin in the voluntary sacrifice of 
himself. If we are to perish utterly in the event of death, we 
need no salvation from a future wrath, no Saviour who shall 
bring us to future blessedness. Hence it is that the central 
truths of our Christian soteriology mean the immortality of 
the soul." 



CHAPTEK XII. 

THE EXISTENCE OF ANGELS. 

The existence of angels, while it cannot be proven a priori, 
is very generally accepted in all religions. Theologians do not 
all agree as to the nature of angels, but agree generally that they 
exist. Concerning the nature of angels, the prevailing opinion 
is that they are spiritual beings and stand first in rank and dig- 
nity among created intelligences. Some of the Christian fathers 
believed that angels had bodies somewhat similar to man, but 
the more general opinion was, and now is, that "they are sub- 
stances entirely spiritual, who can, at any time, assume bodies 
and appear in human form." The heathen philosophers and 
poets generally agreed as to the existence of intelligent beings 
superior to man. Because the angels are spiritual beings, we 
are not hence to infer that they are pure spirit. The resurrec- 
tion bodies of the saints will be spiritual, but not pure spirit 
It will be a body, visible and real. So, while angels may have 
bodies altogether different from the resurrection bodies of the 
saints, it is but reasonable to believe that they have visible, tang- 
ible forms — not visible to mortal eyes, but visible to the spir- 
itual vision. The idea of associating with the angels carries 
with it the idea of tangibility — real form. 

Throughout the Old and the Xew Testament we find frequent 
references to this class of created intelligences, who have often 
been sent with messages to this world. In Gen. 22 : 11, it is re- 
corded that an angel appeared to Abraham. In II. Sam. 24 : 15- 
17, we have an account of how God used an angel as a minister 
of wrath. A similar case is recorded in Isa. 27: 36. In Judg. 
13 : 3-20, we have an account of how an angel appeared to 

101 



102 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

Manoah. In Luke 1 : 19, and 2 : 8-15, we have direct proof of 
the existence of angels, who were sent as messengers from God 
to man. Then in Matt. 28 : 2-4, we have the account of angels 
who were directly connected with the resurrection of Christ. 
An angel was sent to the apostles in prison. (Acts 5 : 19, 20.) 
Then, again, we are informed that an angel delivered Peter out 
of prison. (Acts 12 : 7-11.) These are only a few of the many 
passages in the Bible to prove the existence of angels. By these, 
and many other similar passages, two facts are established: 
(1) What is said in these texts concerning angels cannot be ap- 
plied to man. (2) What is said to have been done by angels 
could not have been accomplished by an inhabitant of this world. 
As to the time when angels were created, we have no in- 
formation. The general opinion is that they were created 
some time prior to the time of creation described by Moses. 
Our knowledge of God and his works dates back to the time when 
he created the heaven and the earth. (Gen. 1:1.) What he did 
in that incomprehensible eternity we know not. He always 
was. Of such an existence we can form no conceptions. It 
comes to the human mind like the vastness of space. Beyond 
all worlds there is that limitless realm of space. In that in- 
comprehensible eternity and that boundless realm of space, for 
aught we know, the Almighty Father may have created vast 
systems of worlds, not in any way connected with that to which 
our little earth belongs. He might have peopled them with 
intelligent beings far superior to man, or even the angels re- 
ferred to in the Scriptures. "O the depth of the riches both 
of the wisdom and the knowledge of God ! how unsearchable 
are his judgements, and his ways past tracing out" (Rom. 11 : 
33). While it is not important that we should know the time 
when God created the angels, it is important that we believe in 
their existence. A denial of this fact would unsettle the mean- 
ing of many passages of Scripture. 






THE EXISTENCE OF ANGELS 103 

As to the number of these spiritual beings, we have no cer- 
tain information, but the representation in the Bible is, that 
there is a vast company. "The chariots of God are twenty thou- 
sand, even thousands upon thousands" (Ps. 68 : 17). Jesus said 
to Peter, "Thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and 
he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels V 9 
(Matt. 26:53.) Paul speaks of "innumerable hosts of an- 
gels" (Heb. 12:22). John says, "And I saw, and I heard 
a voice of many angels round about the throne and the living 
creatures and the elders ; and the number of them was ten thou- 
sand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands" (Rev. 
5: 11). The impression made upon the mind is that it must 
be a very great company. 

Of the different orders of angels, nothing very definite 
is set forth in the Scriptures. Some have distributed angels into 
nine orders. The Jews reckon four orders. As to the number 
of orders, we are not informed. But "following the Scripture 
account, we shall find mention made of different orders of these 
superior beings, for such a distinction of order seems intimated 
in the names given to different classes. Thus we have thrones, 
dominions, principalities, powers, authorities, living ones, 
cherubim, seraphim. That some of these titles may indicate 
the same class of angels is probable, but that they all should be 
but different appellations of one common and equal order is 
improbable." 

Prom what is said in the Scriptures concerning these spir- 
itual beings, it is but reasonable to conclude that they are 
superior to man. How much superior we may not know. Man 
was made "a little lower than the angels" (Heb. 2 : 7, 9), but, in 
due time, if pure and good, he will be "equal unto the angels" 
(Luke 20 : 36). A few passages setting forth the superiority of 
angels over man may suffice : "Bless the Lord, ye angels of his : 
ye mighty in strength, that fulfil his word" (Ps. 103:20). 



104 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

They have superior power. This is evident from what is said 
of the two angels that came to Lot and destroyed Sodom. (Gen. 
19 : 11.) The angel that wrestled with Jacob. (Gen. 32 : 25.), 
The angel that smote Israel from Dan to Beersheba. (II. Sam. 
24: 15, 16.) In Isa. 27: 36, we have an account of an angel 
that slew one hundred and eighty-four thousand Assyrians in 
one night. 

The Scriptures warrant us in the belief that angels have a 
spiritual nature. Dr. Miley says, "Their endowments and ac- 
tivities allow no other view." It is a mystery to us how they. 
were sometimes visible and sometimes not. They had the power 
to manifest themselves to the eye of man, but whether this power 
was inherent, or a direct gift from God, we may not know ; but 
their amazing activity establishes beyond all reasonable doubt 
that they have a spiritual nature. For aught we know, they may 
be around and about us all the time. In the economy of salva- 
tion this may be a part of their employment. "To do service 
for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation." In Ps. 34 : 7, 
we read, "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them 
that fear him, and delivereth them." 

Angels were often sent as messengers to this world, and 
are represented as interested in the affairs of mankind. When 
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, they made the announcement to 
the shepherds. (Luke 2: 8-15.) When he suffered in the gar- 
den, an angel came and strengthened him. (Luke 22:43.) 
When he arose, they were at the tomb. (Matt. 28 : 2-4.) When 
he ascended into heaven, they came and accompanied him to the 
throne. (Acts 1:9.) They are deeply interested in the salva- 
tion of mankind. (Luke 15 : 10.) 

Angels are ministering spirits. Paul asks the question, "Are 
they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for 
the sake of them that shall inherit salvation?" (Heb. 1:14.) 
While this is in the form of a question, it is nevertheless an 



TEE EXISTENCE OF ANGELS 



105 



affirmation, for the Hebrews often express the strongest affirma- 
tion by an interrogation. Dr. Spencer says: "They pity our 
human frailties, and secretly suggest comfort, when we perceive 
it not ; they are ready to help us, as the bad angels are to tempt 
us; always they stand looking into the face of God to receive 
orders, which they no sooner have than they readily despatch." 
God could manage the affairs of his universe without the assist- 
ance of either men or angels; but it seems to be in harmony 
with his will to employ both men and angels in the execution of 
his plans. However limited our knowledge as to the nature, 
number, and employment of angels may be, the fact remains, 
that if we are what we ought to be, and may be, we shall not only 
be "equal unto the angels," but dwell with them forever and 
ever. The idea of being equal unto the angels and dwelling 
with them forever is not only a pleasant reflection, but pecul- 
iarly elevating. The humble Christian as he presses onward 
and upward, surrounded by foes visible and invisible, can 
comfort himself with the inspiring thought that it will not al- 
ways be thus. God has provided some better things for us. 



CHAPTEK XIII. 

EXISTENCE AND EVIL INFLUENCE OF DEVILS. 

The Scriptures clearly and emphatically teach the separate, 
distinct, and personal existence of a devil, and of an innumer- 
able host of evil spirits commonly called devils. While, in the 
strict propriety of scripture language, there is but one devil — 
one prince of the power of the air — one Belial — one adversary, 
— he is joined by a host of evil spirits, partaking of the same 
nature and engaged in the same work with the father of lies. 

In II. Peter 2 : 4, and Jude 6, mention is made of angels that 
sinned and were "cast . . . down to hell" ; they "kept not 
their own principality, but left their proper habitation." We 
are not informed when this apostacy occurred, nor of the num- 
ber involved in it. But there appears to be one chief apostate 
angel, called the Devil, Satan, Beelzebub, Deceiver, and Ad- 
versary. 

Those who deny the personal existence of a devil have 
strangely different methods of interpreting the Scriptures. One 
says the devil personifies some evil principle; another says it 
is the evil propensity of the heart ; while others say the devil 
means some disease, madness, or insanity. A few plain pas- 
sages of Scripture will show the absurdity of this method of in- 
terpreting God's holy Word. The sacred writers were not so 
careless as to use language so vaguely. If there is no personal 
devil, how are we to understand the case of the man that dwelt 
among the tombs, as recorded in Mark 5 : 2-16, and Luke 8:27- 
38 ? This man was possessed of many devils. These devils 
"besought him." They "came out from the man." They "en- 
tered into the swine." These devils had a personal existence 

106 



EXISTENCE AND INFLUENCE OF DEVILS 107 

separate and apart from the man out of whom they were cast. 
They entered into the man, and went out of him. They existed 
before they entered into him, and they existed after they went 
out. The actions ascribed to these devils are such as belong only 
to real personal beings. Professor Henderson says: "The 
position attempted to be maintained, that by Satan we are 
merely to understand 'a symbolic person/ an evil disposition, 
etc., cannot be reconciled with any rational or consistent prin- 
ciples of scripture interpretation, and deserves to be classed 
with the hypothesis that our Saviour himself had no real exist- 
ence, but, as described by the evangelist, is only a personifica- 
tion of virtue or moral excellence." 

The fact should not be overlooked that in the time of Christ 
and the apostles the existence of devils and demoniacal spirits 
was the common belief among both Jews and Gentiles. If it be 
not true, then Christ and the apostles, by their teaching, en- 
couraged the people to believe what they knew was an error. 
Dr. Whately says : "Nor can it be said that Jesus and his apos- 
tles merely left men in their belief, not thinking it worth while 
to undeceive them, and trusting that in time they of themselves 
would discover their mistake. On the contrary, our Lord and 
his followers very decidedly and strongly confirm the doctrine 
by numerous express declarations. For instance, our Lord, in 
his explanation of the parable of the tares and wheat, says ex- 
pressly that the enemy who sows the tares is the devil. And 
again, in explaining that portion of the parable of the sower in 
which it is said that the birds devoured the seed that fell on the 
trodden wayside, he says, 'Then cometh the evil one, and snatch- 
eth away that which hath been sown in his heart.' If, there- 
fore, the belief in evil spirits is altogether a vulgar error, it cer- 
tainly is not an error which Jesus and his apostles merely neg- 
lected to correct, or which they merely connived at, but which 
they decidedly inculcated." There is no doctrine more clearly 



108 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

taught in the Holy Scriptures than that concerning the personal 
existence of the devil and evil spirits. 

What if we do not know the time or circumstances under 
which the devil and evil spirits originated? Neither are we 
informed concerning the time when and circumstances under 
which good angels originated. If we deny the one, for the very 
same reason we may deny the other. But we turn again to the 
direct testimony of the Scriptures. "And devils also came out 
from many, crying out, and saying, Thou art the Son of God" 
(Luke 4:41). In Mark 1:23-27, there is a similar passage- 
The evil spirit cried out — cried with a loud voice. The evil 
spirit talked and came out at the command of Christ, thus evinc- 
ing marks of intelligence which belong to real personal beings. 

To show the absurdity of the views entertained by those who 
deny the doctrine of a personal devil, we will give a few texts 
in which the word "devil" occurs, and leave the reader to substi- 
tute disease, scribe, Pharisee, evil propensity, or insanity in its 
stead. "And the enemy that sowed them is the devil" (Matt. 
13:39). "The devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41). "But 
resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (Jas. 4:7). "Your 
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about" (I. Peter 
5:8). "He that doeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth 
from the beginning" (I. John 3:8). "The devils also believe, 
and shudder" (Jas. 2: 19). 

"Upon the same principle that the devil can be philosophized 
into a figure of speech, or a personification of a bad principle, 
can the Almighty Jehovah be figured out of existence as a real 
being and proved to oe nothing more than an eastern metaphor 
or a rhetorical flourish." 

If the demons said to be cast out by Christ were only diseases, 
the evangelists were very unfortunate in the use of language. 
In Matt. 4 : 24, and Mark 1 : 34, the evangelists say that our 
Lord healed diseases and cast out devils, thus clearly distinguish- 



EXISTENCE AND INFLUENCE OF DEVILS 109 

ing between the healing of diseases and the casting ont of devils. 
The scribes and Pharisees believed in the existence of devils, 
and charged Christ, not only with having a devil, but of casting 
out devils by or through the prince of devils. (See Matt. 11: 
18 ; Luke 7 : 33 ; Matt. 9 : 34 ; and Mark 3 : 22.) "It seems 
strange," says Dr. Lightfoot, "to find men at this distance of 
time questioning the truth of that which neither scribes nor 
Pharisees then doubted; nor did they ever object against the 
pretensions of Christ and his apostles to cast them out. And if 
the whole business of demonism had been only a vulgar error 
(as wise men now tell us), what a fine opportunity had the wise 
men then to unmask the whole matter, and thus pour contempt 
on the pretensions of our blessed Lord and his followers, who 
held it to be one proof of their mission that demons were subject 
to them/' 

The temptation of Christ, recorded in Matt. 4: 1-11, is posi- 
tive proof that the devil is a real being, and not a mere personi- 
fication of that which is evil. "Then was Jesus led up of the 
Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." And when 
the tempter came to him, he said, "If thou art the Son of God, 
command that these stones become bread." Whatever or who- 
ever it was that tempted Christ came to him and went away 
from him. "Who was he % Where did he come from ? Where 
did he go ?" Christ was holy, harmless, and unde filed, so it will 
not do to say that it was a personification of any evil that was 
in him. "If the devil which came to Christ and went away 
from him was not a real being, — nothing but a figure of speech, 
— then what were the angels which came to him after the devil 
left him? If they were nothing but metaphors, how can any 
man on earth prove that Christ was a real being ? There is just 
as much reason in supposing that Christ was a metaphor as 
either of the others. But if the angels were real beings, and 
Christ a real being, how can it be supposed that the devil was 



110 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

nothing but a figure of speech, when he had fully as much to do 
in the performance as any of them." 

It is worthy of special note that the devils cast out by Christ 
and his apostles were called spirits, nvevfia This could not 
with any degree of propriety be applied to disease. "And when 
even was come, they brought unto him many possessed with 
devils : and he cast out the spirits [ irvevfiara ] with a word, and 
healed all that were sick" (Matt. 8:16). "And he called 
unto him his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over un- 
clean spirits, [ Trvevfiaruv ] to cast them out, and to heal all man- 
ner of disease and all manner of sickness" (Matt. 10 : 1). Now 
observe that there is a manifest distinction between devils and 
diseases. Jesus healed the sick and cast out the devils. The 
disciples went out with authority to "heal all manner of sickness 
and all manner of disease," and to cast out "unclean spirits." 
Why this distinction if devil, unclean spirit, and disease all 
mean the same thing? If Christ and the apostles did not 
cast out real, personal devils, they deceived the people, for the 
people believed in the real existence of evil spirits, or demons, 
and both Christ and the apostles professed to cast them out. 

Let no one be deceived or led astray by the subtle reasoning 
of those who deny the existence of a real personal devil. The 
Scriptures as clearly teach this truth as any other truth. 
Throughout the Scriptures he is represented as a real being ; an 
enemy to God and man, using all his power to rob God of his 
glory and win the souls of the children of men. 

Dr. Miley, in summing up the work and influences of evil 
spirits, says: "They are actuated by a common impulse of 
hatred against God and man. This appears in the whole history 
of their agency. A central purpose, springing from their malig- 
nance, is to compass the moral ruin of the race. Their method 
is to lead man into sin and to counterwork the means of his sal- 
vation. This appears in the temptation of Eve (Gen. 3: 1-6), 



EXISTENCE AND INFLUENCE OF DEVILS 111 

in the temptation of our Lord in the wilderness (Matt. 4 : 1-11), 
in the seduction of Judas into his work of betrayal (Luke 22 : 
3, 4), in the power of darkness, which may well signify the 
rulers of the darkness, and their rage against our Lord in the 
hour providentially permitted to his murderers (Luke 22: 53; 
Eph. 6 : 12), in the sowing of tares among the good seed (Matt. 
13: 39), in catching away the word of the kingdom before it 
can become profitable (Matt. 13 : 39)." 

But over against the doctrine concerning the existence of a 
personal devil and evil spirits ; over against this power of this 
evil, malignant influence; over against the fall in Adam, and 
the consequent depravity of the whole human race ; over against 
the existence of moral evil and its dire results, both in time and 
eternity, we set up Christ's atonement, his mediation, the influ- 
ence of the Holy Spirit, salvation, and eternal life. "To this 
end was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the 
works of the devil" (I. John 3:8). 



CHAPTER XIV. 

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 

OoNCEENiifG the evidences of the divine origin of Chris- 
tianity, the range of argument is so vast that in a treatise of 
this kind we can do no more than state a few of the leading 
arguments in its defense. We can promise nothing new, ex- 
cept, it may be, in the order in which the arguments are stated. 
The question to be considered is this, Is Christianity from God, 
or is it the wicked contrivance of men? If the evidence of its 
divine origin is such as would be considered sufficient to estab- 
lish any other fact, then there is no reason why it should not 
establish the truth of Christianity. 

1. A revelation from God possible. If it be admitted that 
God exists, and that he created the heaven and earth, "this is 
all we need to prove a revelation possible." The evidence in 
favor of the existence of God is so overwhelming that but few 
have the courage, or, rather, the audacity, to deny it. Admit- 
ting, then, that God exists, and that he created man, it would 
be folly to assert that he who created man, and organized the 
human mind, was not capable of revealing himself to it and 
through it. It is a wicked reflection on the wisdom, power, and 
goodness of God to say that after he had created man, and placed 
him on the earth, he so effectually closed the door between him- 
self and his creatures as to render it impossible to communicate 
with them. "He that planted the ear, shall he not hear ? he that 
formed the eye, shall he not see? . . . He that teacheth 
man knowledge, shall not he know V 9 God, in the plenitude of 
his eternal goodness, has, in various ways, and at different times, 
made supernatural revelations of himself and of his will to man. 

112 



EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY 113 

In Ilel). 1 : 1, Paul says, "God, having of old time spoken unto 
the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers 
manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his 
Son." Under the wise* supervision of his gracious providence 
these revelations, given at sundry times and in divers manners, 
have been committed to writing, which we now have in the Holy 
Scriptures. The harmony and majesty of these sacred writ- 
ings, given in the manner Paul describes, are standing proofs 
of their supernatural origin. 

It is objected by some that a revelation claiming to be super- 
natural should not have been given to man through man. God 
could have revealed to man in another way, but he did as it 
pleased him, and as he, in his own infinite wisdom, saw it would 
be best for man. The love of God, the Fatherhood of God, and 
his gracious condescension are all shown, not only in the fact of 
such a revelation, but in the manner of giving it. But unre- 
generate man is ever prone to find fault with the operations of 
his wise and gracious providences. 

2. A revelation from God necessary. It is a self-evident 
truth that man is a free moral agent; and hence, morally re- 
sponsible. We cannot divorce from our own individual con- 
sciousness the feeling of individual responsibility. In some 
way, no matter how, it inheres in our very nature. The ques- 
tion, then, is this, Can we, by communing with ourselves and 
nature around us, learn all we need to know about our origin 
and destiny ? Whence are we ? and whither bound ? are ques- 
tions which have engaged the thoughts of the most enlightened 
minds of all the ages. Which of the philosophers answered 
these questions satisfactorily to themselves or their pupils? 
Not one. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, whose wisdom and 
learning raised them far above the masses, were in constant 
doubt concerning their duty and destiny. The best and clearest 
utterances they ever made concerning an after life were shad- 



114 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

owed by that cold and cheerless word "if." What was true two 
thousand years ago is true to-day. All nations, and parts of 
nations, in the absence of a divine revelation, are sitting in 
darkness, and dwelling in the region and shadow of death. 
They are not only ignorant of their origin and destiny, but of 
God and his attributes. This is evident from the nature of 
their worship. All nations worship. There is in man a con- 
sciousness of responsibility which leads him to worship some- 
thing. In the material universe there are evident marks of 
design and workmanship. But how shall man know how to 
worship the Maker of all these things 1 Whatever his sense of 
moral responsibility may be, he does not, and cannot know how 
to approach God. Without a revelation other than what is 
manifest in the realm of nature, "he can attain to no certain 
knowledge of God, of Christ, of the Holy Ghost, of pardon, of 
justification, of sanctification, of happiness, of a future state of 
rewards and punishments." This is no mere speculation ; it is 
a fact, attested by the history of all heathen nations in all the 



"It is," says Dr. Leland, "an easy thing to speak in high 
terms of what the light of nature and reason can lead men to, 
now that it has been so greatly assisted by the light communi- 
cated from the Christian Revelation. Men that have been edu- 
cated under the gospel, and who have access to the discoveries 
there made, may pursue and improve those discoveries, and then 
securely boast of what mighty things they can do by the strength 
of their own reason and penetration. But the proper way to 
know the true force of natural reason, and what may be ex- 
pected from it when left to itself in the present state of man- 
kind, is to consider what was done in matters of religion under 
the mere guidance of human reason, in those nations and ages 
in which it was diligently cultivated, and when polite literature 
and the liberal arts were in their highest elevation. It would 



EVIDENCES OF CHBISTIANITY 115 

argue great arrogance in us to suppose that we have a more com- 
prehensive reach of thought, greater penetration and force of 
reason than those sublime geniuses which have been the admira- 
tion of all succeeding ages. Since, therefore, they, with all 
their learning and vast abilities, were at so great a loss in what 
related to the knowledge and worship of the only true God, in 
opposition to all idolatry and polytheism, there is just ground 
to suppose that if we had been left merely to ourselves, and had 
not the benefit of divine revelation, we should have been still 
wandering in the mazes of error, even in matters of the highest 
consequence." 

3. Having considered the possibility and necessity of a super- 
natural revelation from God to man, it is proper that we should 
inquire as to the probability of such revelation, it being estab- 
lished beyond all controversy that man, abstract of a divine 
revelation from God, cannot arrive at truths such as his own 
intuitions dictate to be important and desirable. He cannot 
know God, nor his will; he cannot, from reason and nature, 
know what his duties to God, himself, and his fellow-beings are ; 
he cannot find out with any degree of certainty anything about 
his origin or destiny; he cannot find out how to obtain relief 
from the burden of sin which he feels in his own heart. He 
worships, but he does not know how to worship, nor what he 
worships. In the face of these facts, which no intelligent per- 
son will deny, what are the probabilities in favor of a revelation 
from God to man ? 

Does God as our Creator and Father care for us 1 Is it in 
harmony with our idea of a wise and benevolent Father to leave 
his intelligent creatures in such a sad condition? Dr. Miley 
asks these pertinent questions : "Must each soul be its own and 
only prophet ? Shall no one sent from God speak to us ? Shall 
the Heavenly Father, veiled from the eye of his children, be 
forever silent to their ear ? Shall he never speak to the world 



116 CHRISTIAN. THEOLOGY 

so long waiting and listening for his voice? If man were 
wholly destitute of all religious feeling in his nature; if he 
were altogether free from any and all consciousness of respon- 
sibility; and if he were not inclined to worship anything, the 
necessity for, and the probabilities of, a supernatural revelation 
from God would not be so apparent. But putting all these facts 
together, it is most reasonable to suppose that God would, in 
some way, make a more complete disclosure of himself to man 
than that which he can gather from nature alone." 

4. The Old Testament. There is such a book. It must have 
been written some time, and by some person or persons. If it 
were not written by the persons whose names it bears, by whom, 
then, was it written ? The several books of the Old Testament 
are known to have existed for many centuries. Now if their 
origin is not what is claimed for them, then let the objector tell 
when and by whom they were written. This is no more than 
we would demand in relation to any other book. 

The internal evidence of their genuineness is very clear and 
conclusive. The Old Testament opens with what claims to 
be the history of the creation, written by Moses. "For a hun- 
dred and fifty generations the question has been urgently 
pressed, Who but Moses wrote the Pentateuch? And no re- 
sponse has been heard but the voice of echo, answering, 'Who V " 

In proof of the genuineness of the Old Testament Scriptures, 
we have the testimony of Josephus and Philo, the Egyptian 
Jew. Then we have the testimony of all the Jewish rabbins, 
and the whole Christian world for the last eighteen hundred 
years. What more and better testimony is necessary to estab- 
lish the genuineness of any book ? "Can there be a record pro- 
duced from Egypt, Phoenicia, Greece, or Rome which gives as 
clear an account of the origin and progress of these nations, and 
which presents the same amount of internal evidence of genuine- 
ness ?" We unhesitatingly answer, ~Ro. If the external and in- 



EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY 117 

ternal evidences of the genuineness and authenticity of the Old 
Testament Scriptures which we have is to be rejected and set 
aside as insufficient and untrustworthy, then all history and 
records of ancient times and nations must be repudiated, and all 
the past is all a blank. We ask nothing to be accepted as proof 
of the genuineness of the Old Testament Scriptures that we 
would not be willing to accept as proof of the genuineness of 
any other book. 

5. The New Testament. The evidences in favor of the 
genuineness, authenticity, and inspiration of the New Testa- 
ment are very abundant. We have such a book, and it must 
have had an origin. Some person or persons must have written 
it. The question, then, is this, When and by whom was it writ- 
ten ? If the books which form the New Testament were not 
written at, or about the time they claim to have been, at or about 
what time were they written ? If they were not written by those 
to whom they are ascribed, by whom, then, were they written ? 
If we say that "Paradise Lost" was not written by Milton, then, 
in all fairness, we should be able to show by whom it was writ- 
ten. If the records of the life and works of Jesus Christ were 
not written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, by whom were 
they written ? Are these records true or are they false ? Was 
there such a person as Jesus Christ ? Were there such persons 
as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John ? If it could be shown that 
no such person as Jesus Christ ever lived on earth, and that 
the New Testament had been written by others than those to 
whom its authorship is ascribed, it doubtless would have been 
done long since. The fact that it has not been done in eighteen 
hundred years is evidence that it cannot he done. 

The sum of the argument, when carried to the last analysis, 
is this : It is said that a man by the name of Alexander lived, 
and was a great military chieftain. But how do we know, liv- 
ing in the nineteenth century, that such a man lived ? Simply 



118 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

upon the testimony of others (and we dare not deny it) that 
such a man lived. But if we prove that he was no such military 
genius as he is represented to have been, then we convict the 
witnesses of falsehood, and thereby destroy their testimony. 
For the same witnesses that testify to the fact that he lived 
testify that he was a great military chieftain. 

And now certain men affirm that at a certain time a person 
called Jesus lived on earth, worked miracles, was crucified, and 
rose from the dead. The same men who say that such a man 
lived say also that he worked miracles, was crucified, and rose 
from the dead. If we reject their testimony in one part, we 
must reject it altogether. 

Concerning the genuineness and authenticity of the New 
Testament there are no reasonable grounds for doubt. At an 
early day the New Testament was translated into other lan- 
guages, and if it were a fraud, it would have been an easy mat- 
ter to detect it. But even the enemies of Christianity did not 
raise this question. In the second, third, and fourth centuries 
such learned men and philosophers as Celsus, Porphyry, Hiero- 
cles, and Julian arrayed themselves against Christianity, and 
were met by Origin, Eusebius, Augustine, Jerome, and Cyril. 
During this famous controversy nearly every book in the New 
Testament, as we now have them, was quoted from on both sides. 
And "let it be distinctly noted that no one of the combatants 
on either side ever so much as raised a question concerning the 
genuineness and authenticity of one single book of the New 
Testament." How is this to be accounted for, if the New Testa- 
ment is a fraud \ Would it not be most reasonable to conclude 
that some one or other of those learned men would have raised 
that question if there had been any doubts about it? There is 
no fact in the history of all the past ages that comes to us so well 
authenticated as the genuineness of the New Testament. We 



EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY 119 

Lave an unbroken chain of evidence, from friends and enemies, 
Tunning back to the very time that Jesus lived. 

6. Inspiration of the Scriptures. The Scriptures claim to 
he a revelation from God. The question, then, is this, Do the 
Scriptures on their face merit this claim ? Is there anything in 
the truth taught and spirit breathed that would indicate their 
inspiration. Observe carefully "the central ideas in them ; the 
spirituality and the elevation of their design ; the majesty and 
the simplicity of their style ; the candor, disinterestedness, and 
uprightness of the penmen ; the harmonious agreement of their 
various parts; their wonderful efficacy on the consciences and 
character of mankind; their astonishing preservation; the 
multitude of miracles wrought in confirmation of the doctrine 
they contain, and the exact fulfillment of all their predictions 
up to this hour ; then ask, if all this can be the production of 
wicked, designing men." Add to this summary the complete 
adaptation of the Holy Scriptures to all times and peoples, and 
you have sufficient evidence to prove their claim to inspiration. 

7. Credibility of the Holy Scriptures. A book may be au- 
thentic, and yet not credible. It is possible that a book may 
have been written by the person to whom it is imputed, and the 
contents not worthy of confidence. To imply as much as pos- 
sible, the point to be considered now is not whether the Scrip- 
tures are inspired, but are they worthy of belief? Is the gos- 
pel history true? Are the statements of the sacred writers 
worthy of our confidence ? 

One of two things must be true. The Scriptures were writ- 
ten by bad men or by good men. There is no third class by 
which they could have been written. Now do the Scriptures 
•on their face indicate that they were written by bad men ? Is 
it credible that wicked, evil, designing men would teach such 
doctrine and lay down such precepts as those contained in the 
Holy Scriptures ? Would bad men write a law that would con- 



120 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

tinually and eternally condemn themselves ? Sir William Jones 
says, "I am of the opinion that the Bible contains more true 
sublimity, more exquisite beauty, more pure morality, more 
important history, and finer strains of poetry and eloquence 
than can be collected from all other books, in whatever age and 
language they may be written." Is it credible that such a book 
was written by bad men ? 

If, then, the Scriptures were not written by bad men, they 
must have been written by good men ; and if they were written 
by good men, they must have been inspired, for they so claimed^ 
and good men will not deceive. If the Scriptures are not in- 
spired, then the writers are guilty of falsehood, and if guilty 
of falsehood, they were not good men. The conclusion, there- 
fore, is this: (1) That the Holy Scriptures were not written 
by bad men. (2) They must have been written by good men;, 
and if by good men, they were inspired, as they claimed to be,, 
and if the writers were inspired, then the Scriptures are a 
revelation from God, and what the writers state is credible. 

8. Miracles. In a theological sense, a miracle "is a work 
effected different from the common and regular method of 
providence by the power of God himself, for the proof of some 
particular message, or in attestation of the authority of some 
particular divine message." Dr. Miley defines a miracle to be 
"a supernatural event wrought by the immediate agency of God, 
to accredit some messenger as divinely commissioned or some 
truth as divinely given." The most direct and positive evidence 
of the truth of divine inspiration is that it is confirmed by 
miracles. If a divine revelation to man is necessary, then mir- 
acles are necessary, for without these the truth would not be 
sufficiently confirmed. If a divine revelation is possible and 
probable, the miracles are possible and probable, for they mu- 
tually imply each other. Under the head of miracles, we in- 
clude prophecy. "The revelation of the divine will by inspired 



EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY 121 

persons is, as such, miraculous." Whoever, therefore, believes 
in the existence of God must admit the possibility and proba- 
bility of miracles. Prophecies fulfilled and miracles performed 
are alike supernatural. 

Miracles, when performed, must be considered as direct and 
positive proof of the divinity of the doctrine in behalf of which 
they are wrought. Admitting that God is able to perform a 
miracle, it only remains to be shown that the miracles recorded 
in the Bible are genuine ; that they w T ere actually performed. 
We can do no more at present than to state a few of the argu- 
ments in favor of their genuineness: (1) The miracles re- 
corded in the Bible were all, with but few exceptions, performed 
in a public manner. They were not wrought in secret, and 
then reported by a few intimate friends. Many of them were 
witnessed by thousands of friends and foes. (2) The number 
and variety of the miracles were such that the people who wit- 
nessed them could test them by their senses. Is it reasonable to 
suppose that the thousands who were present on different occa- 
sions were all deceived? (3) The miracles recorded were "in- 
stantaneous and complete. No time for second causes to operate 
was left — no room for human means to intervene." 

The fact that such a person as Christ lived on earth is no 
longer denied by any intelligent skeptic. That he performed 
miracles in the presence of many witnesses is as well established 
as any historic fact of past ages. During the time of Christ the 
people did not call in question the fact that he wrought mir- 
acles, but ascribed them to the power of demons. The chief 
priests and Pharisees in council said of Jesus, "This man doeth 
many miracles." 

But we have testimony concerning the miracles of Christ be- 
side the plain statement in the Scripture. In the Talmud, you 
will find that the Jewish rabbis acknowledged that Christ per- 
formed miracles, but held that they were wrought by magic. 



122 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

Celsus, a learned heathen, who wrote near the close of the sec- 
ond century, admits that Christ performed miracles, but, like 
the Jewish rabbis, claimed that they were wrought by magic. 
Hierocles, a learned man, and a violent hater of Christians, 
does not even question the fact of Christ's miracles. Julian, 
the emperor of Rome, in the fourth century, acknowledges that 
Christ performed miracles, but tries to show that they were of 
little importance, when, in fact, a miracle is a direct exertion 
of divine power, and a direct proof of the truth of the doctrine 
in the interest of which it is performed. 

It is worthy of special remark that the fact of Christ's mir- 
acles during the years in which they were performed, and by 
the people, friends and foes, who lived in the countries where 
they were performed, was never called in question. "The facts 
were admitted, but they were attributed to infernal agencies." 
If it were not a fact that Christ performed miracles, why did 
not the Pharisees and Sadducees, together with the scribes and 
doctors of the law, in and about Jerusalem, rise up in his day 
and deny it, and send their united testimony down through the 
ages. The fact that they did not do it is evidence that they 
could not do it. Such a denial as this was all the more impor- 
tant and necessary, when we remember that Christ asserted his 
claims of his Messiahship by the evidence, "The very works that 
I do, bear witness of me/' 

9. Prophecies. A prophecy is the foretelling of future 
events, such as no mere human forecast is competent to make. A 
prophecy fulfilled is as much a miracle of knowledge as raising 
the dead is a miracle of power. They are alike superhuman. 
"Men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Ghost." To 
penetrate the future, and foretell events yet to come, requires 
nothing less than divine omniscience. A prophecy fulfilled 
must therefore be considered as direct proof of the truth of 
Christianity. Prophecies which come from God carry with 



EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY 123 

them evident marks of their validity, for they are not simply 
predictions, but predictions fulfilled ; not one prediction alone, 
but many, extending through many thousands of years. 

The first prophecy we shall name may be found in Gen. 
49 : 10, "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the 
ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh come." This 
prediction was made by Jacob nearly seventeen hundred years 
before the birth of Christ, and was literally fulfilled. Shiloh, 
which means the Messiah, came while Judah yet remained a 
distinct tribe. The other tribes were gone, but Judah remained 
and held the scepter until the Shiloh came. 

Christ was to come to the second temple. This prediction 
was literally fulfilled. "And I will fill this house with glory, 
saith the Lord of hosts" (Haggai 2:7). "And the Lord, whom 
ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple ; and the messenger 
of the covenant" (Mai. 3:1). While yet the second temple re- 
mained the Messiah came, thus literally fulfilling a prophecy 
which had been made four hundred years before. 

The way before Christ was to be prepared by a messenger. 
"Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way 
before me" (Mai. 3:1). This prediction was exactly fulfilled, 
when John the Baptist entered upon his ministry. "For this is 
he that was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice 
of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the 
Lord, Make his paths straight" (Matt. 3:3). To name these 
predictions is all we need to do in order to show their force. 

Concerning the birth of Christ, it was said, "Behold, a virgin 
shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Im- 
manuel" (Isa. 7: 14). Seven hundred years after this predic- 
tion was made it was exactly fulfilled in the person of Mary. 

Christ was not to be born in Jerusalem, but in Bethlehem. 
"But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among 



124 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto 
me that is to be ruler in Israel ; whose goings forth are from of 
old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2, 3). For the exact fulfill- 
ment of this prophecy, read Matt. 2:1-8; Luke 2 : 4-7. 

Many other predictions concerning Jesus Christ were as ex- 
actly fulfilled as those we have given. He was to ride into 
Jerusalem upon an ass's colt; he was to be scourged; he was 
to be rejected by the Jews; spat upon; numbered with trans- 
gressors ; placed in the tomb of the rich ; should not see corrup- 
tion; should live after he was cut off. Now all these predic- 
tions were exactly fulfilled in Christ, and in no one else. It is 
well to observe that the predictions concerning Christ "occu- 
pied a period of time covering more than a thousand years." 
Who but an infinite God could so penetrate the future and tell 
what shall be a thousand years hence ? The prophecy did not 
cause the event, but the event, as foreseen by the omniscient 
God, produced the prophecy. Those who deny the divine pres- 
cience, and yet claim to believe in prophecy, will find some diffi- 
culty in harmonizing these predictions concerning Christ with 
their theory. Prophecy fulfilled proves the divine prescience. 

A few other prophecies, and their minute fulfillment, are all 
we can consider in this connection. Volumes could easily be 
written upon this subject, showing how wonderfully the prophe- 
cies have been fulfilled. Prophecy, providence, God are so 
united that we cannot separate them. Each includes the other. 

Jer. 34 : 23, foretells that Zedekiah should be taken captive 
and delivered to the king of Babylon and speak with him and 
behold his eyes and go to Babylon. Ezek. 12 : 13, foretells that 
Zedekiah should not see Babylon, but that he should die there. 
How could both these prophecies be fulfilled ? But they were 
fulfilled to the letter. Zedekiah was taken captive, and did see 
the king of Babylon face to face and speak to him; not at 
Babylon, however, but at Riblah. At the latter place his eyes 



EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY 125 

were put out, and he was then taken to Babylon, and died there. 
Thus the prophecy was fulfilled to the letter. 

Concerning Babylon, Isaiah said, "It shall never be inhab- 
ited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation." 
How is it now ? Babylon, once the glory of the world, is fallen. 
Her "pomp is brought down to hell." "I will also make it 
a possession for the porcupine, and pools of water: and I will 
sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts'' 
(Isa. 14: 23). All that was predicted by the prophet has been 
minutely fulfilled. Sixteen centuries have swept over the ruins 
of that city, and it still remains in ruins. 

It was predicted that Tyre should be destroyed by Nebuchad- 
nezzar, king of Babylon. (Ezek. 26 : 7-17.) Again it was fore- 
told that it should be taken by Alexander. (Isa. 23 : 6.) These 
predictions were fulfilled. It was also foretold that Tyre should 
be finally destroyed. "'And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre, 
and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from 
her, and make her a bare rock. She shall be a place for the 
spreading of nets in the midst of the sea" (Ezek. 26:4, 5). 
The different specifications in the prophecy were all literally 
fulfilled. Yolney, in his "Ruins," and Cotonicus, who visited 
Syria in 1598, testify that everything is in ruins. The latter 
says, "If we except a few arches and baths, and some ruined 
walls and collapsed towers, and mere rubbish, there is now noth- 
ing of Tyre .to be discerned." Can any man of to-day look into 
the future and tell what will befall any city, kingdom, empire, 
or republic hundreds of years hence ? 

Concerning Jerusalem, Jesus said, "For the days shall come 
upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, 
and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and 
shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within thee; 
and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another" (Luke 
19 : 43, 44). This prediction was literally fulfilled when Titus 



126 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

took that city. It was not only fulfilled in part, but in every 
particular. "Never was there, never could there be a plainer 
fulfillment of prophecy." From the exact fulfillment of so 
many prophecies, stretching over a period of many hundreds 
of years, may we not justly conclude that "men spake from 
God, being moved by the Holy Ghost" % 

10. Christianity adapted to the wants and capacities of man- 
kind. The Scriptures alone give a reasonable account of the 
origin of matter and mind. All nations, in all time past, have 
agreed that wrong exists; the Bible alone gives a reasonable 
account of the origin of moral wrong. All nations have felt 
the need of a relief from this wrong ; the Bible alone offers a 
remedy. Christianity is adapted to man as a moral, social, and 
intelligent being. The rich and poor, learned and unlearned, 
can find in the Bible food, consolation, and instruction. All 
nations have intuitively felt that something remained for man 
after this life, but could not demonstrate it; the Bible alone 
affirms it. The Bible is an old book, written many centuries 
ago, and yet it is adapted to the wants and capacities of man- 
kind to-day, as well as in past ages. It is up and ahead of the 
most advanced thought. New truths, and phases of truth, are 
discovered, but no new truths are added. What God does is; 
perfect. There is not a law nor force in nature but that was 
there in the early morning of time, but ages passed before some 
of them were discovered. So in the Bible, new truths and 
phases of truth are continually coming to the surface, but they 
were all there when the Book was written. Who but inspired 
men could write such a book? "Other books are but planets, 
shining with reflected luster; this book, like the sun, shines 
with ancient and unborrowed rays." 

11. The success of Christianity. Without sword or spear 
or human learning, the founder of Christianity, in an enlight- 
ened age of the world, commenced by facts and arguments to set 



EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY 127 

up a kingdom, the principles of which struck at the center root 
of all the moral and social evils of the time. He was joined by 
a few illiterate men, and in less than three hundred years it 
had spread over the eastern world "and Christianized the Ko- 
man empire." "The success of Mohammedanism was the 
triumph of armies upon the field of battle ; the success of Chris- 
tianity was the triumph of moral influence, truth, peace, 
virtue." The Jews rejected it, the Gentiles were idolaters, the 
educated spurned it, and yet the little, feeble party pushed the 
moral conquest forward until multiplied thousands were 
brought under its influence. From every defeat it has arisen 
afresh, and to-day the Christian population of the world cannot 
be far from Rve hundred millions. This unparalleled success 
cannot be accounted for in any way unless we admit that Chris- 
tianity is divine in its origin. The remarkable preservation, 
harmony, and circulation of the Scriptures is evidence of a 
providence which is divine. The Bible is composed of sixty- 
six books, written by about forty different men, covering a 
period of more than a thousand years. But few of these writ- 
ers ever saw each other, and yet these books were preserved sep- 
arately for a time, and then brought together and formed one 
harmonious whole. The same thought and the same spirit run 
through the whole volume. There is a simplicity, a majesty, 
and sublimity not found in any other book. Then consider the 
circulation of the Scriptures. They are printed in more than 
three hundred and fifty different languages and dialects, and 
circulated, not by scores and hundreds merely, but by thousands 
and millions. What does all this mean ? How are we, on 
merely rational grounds, to account for the preservation, har- 
mony, and circulation of the Holy Scriptures ? There is noth- 
ing like it in the history of all the ages. 

12. The fruits of Christianity. The Lord Jesus laid down 
a test which must be accepted as both reasonable and right. 



128 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

And we demand that every system be tried by this rule. "By 
their fruits ye shall know them. Therefore, by their fruits 
ye shall know them" (Matt. 7: 16, 20). If the tree of Chris- 
tianity has yielded no better fruit than other trees, then cut 
it down. But what are some of the fruits of Christianity ? If 
you go back among some of the heathen nations you will find 
vice, corruption, and cruelty in almost every conceivable form. 
Mr. Hume, when alluding to the most illustrious period of the 
history of Rome, speaks of their custom of exposing their old 
and worn-out slaves on an island of the Tiber to starve. "The 
murder of new-born infants was an allowed practice in all the 
states of Greece and Rome." Men and women laid aside all 
regard to virtue, and plunged into crime the most revolting. 
These facts are admitted by Hume, Voltaire, and Gibbon. 
Look at heathen nations as they now exist, and you will see ig- 
norance, superstition, and crimes the most revolting. "Does the 
history of any heathen nation furnish an example of self -refor- 
mation in public morals ? Has not the general tendency been 
downward ? This will not be called in question. What, then, 
has wrought the change in all lands where Christianity has been 
adopted ? History, reason, observation, and experience all unite 
in testifying that Christianity, whether human or divine, has 
wrought this wonderful change. Until the gospel set up its 
churches and gathered its disciples the Gentile world had never 
seen such a spectacle as a society united by the bonds of love." 

Bolingbroke, a noted opposer of revealed religion, said, "!N"o 
religion ever appeared in the world whose natural tendency was 
so much directed to promote the peace and happiness of society." 
Even Rousseau, a violent infidel, said, "If all were Christians, 
the people would be obedient to the laws, the magistrates would 
be uncorrupted, and there would be neither vanity nor luxury 
in such a state." Concerning the Bible, he said, "I must con- 
fess to you that the majesty of the Scriptures astonishes me; 



EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY 129 

the holiness of the evangelists speaks to my heart, and has such 
strong and striking character of truth, and is, moreover, so per- 
fectly inimitable, that, if it had been the invention of men, the 
inventors would be greater than the greatest heroes." 

Christianity is either truth or fiction. It is either from God 
or the contrivance of desperately wicked men. It claims to be 
from God ; if it is not, then it came from wicked men. What 
shall we say ? Here let us apply the test. a The tree is known 
by its fruit." "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of 
thistles V 9 ]\ T ow, if Christianity is not from God, as it claims to 
be, then, contrary to reason, history, observation, and experi- 
ence, we have figs from thistles and grapes from thorns. The 
fruit of Christianity in all countries where it has been tolerated 
is such as could not come from a corrupt tree. 

The effect of Christianity upon the lives and deaths of indi- 
viduals is no less striking than its effects upon society in gen- 
eral. Contrast the lives and deaths of such men as Voltaire, 
Hobbes, and Altamont with such men as Luther, Wesley, and 
Newton. The former were lewd, vulgar, and immoral, and died 
in utter despair. The latter were pious, upright, and devout, 
and died calm and peaceful. "The tree is known by its fruit." 
Let Christianity and infidelity be tried by this rule ; and then 
let reason, observation, and our own consciousness decide which 
is the better tree — which should be cut down % 

Christianity is a free and open system ; its truths have been 
before the world for many centuries. One of the evidences of 
its divinity is the fact that it may be tested by individual ex- 
perience. Infidelity in none of its multiplied forms admits of 
any such test. The great Teacher said, "If any man willeth to 
do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God, 
or whether I speak of myself" (John 7:17). Millions have 
tested it under every conceivable condition in life and say, His 
words are truth. Millions have tested it in death and said, His 



130 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

words are truth. Millions are now testing it and say, His words 
are truth. Is not the testimony of these multiplied millions 
more reliable and trustworthy than the cold and cheerless nega- 
tions of infidels who know nothing of what is beyond this life, 
and have no means of testing their theory ? 

We have thus stated a few of the evidences in favor of Chris- 
tianity. Volumes could be written upon each of the points 
named, but our limits would permit only a brief statement of 
some of the principal arguments used in defense of our holy 
Christianity. We close this brief review in the words of Mr. 
Rose, a pious and devout Christian: "We live in the midst of 
blessings till we are utterly insensible of their greatness, and 
the source from which they flow. We speak of our civilization, 
our arts, our freedom, our laws, and forget entirely how large 
a share of all is due to Christianity. Blot Christianity out of 
the page of man's history, and what would his laws have been ? 
What his civilization ? Christianity is mixed up with our very 
being and our daily life. There is not a familiar object round 
us which does not wear its mark, not a being or a thing which 
does not wear a different aspect because the light of Christian 
hope is on it, nor a law which does not owe its truth and gentle- 
ness to Christianity, not a custom which cannot be traced in all 
its body and healthful parts to the gospel." 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE ATONEMENT. 

The word "atonement," translated from the Hebrew word 
copher, when used as a verb, signifies to cover, and when used as 
a noun, signifies a covering. It is also used to signify satis- 
faction, or expiation. In this latter sense, the most critical 
lexicographers very generally define the term. 

By the doctrine of atonement, then, we are to understand 
that satisfaction was made for sin by the sufferings and death 
of Jesus Christ, so that God can now be just in forgiving the 
sins of all that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Dr. Miley says, "The vicarious sufferings of Christ are an 
atonement for sin as a conditional substitute for penalty, ful- 
filling, or the forgiveness of sin, the obligation of justice and 
the office of penalty in moral government." While the atone- 
ment is ample and complete, it is nevertheless provisional. Sat- 
isfaction is rendered to the law, so that sins may be forgiven on 
proper conditions. Paul, in Rom. 3 : 25, 26, says, "Whom God 
set forth to be a propitiation, through faith, by his blood, to 
shew his righteousness, because of the passing over of the sins 
done aforetime, in the forbearance of God; for the shewing, 
7 say, of his righteousness at this present season : that he might 
himself be just, and the justifier of him that hath faith in 
Jesus." The atonement is made, justice is satisfied, the honor 
and integrity of the moral government is maintained, so that 
God can now be just and extend the "gracious franchise of for- 
giveness" to all who believe in Jesus. "Here," says Dr. Clarke, 
"we learn that God designed to give the most evident displays 
of his justice and mercy. Of his justice, in requiring a sacri- 

131 



132 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

fice, and of his mercy in providing the sacrifice which his jus- 
tice required." 

We must not confound the term "atonement" with the term 
"redemption." They are often used as synonymous, but this is 
an error. They sustain to each other the relation of cause and 
effect. Atonement is a sacrifice offered to God, while redemp- 
tion is a benefit conferred upon man. If there had been no 
atonement, there could have been no redemption. The atone- 
ment takes effect by changing the relation of God toward the 
guilty, while redemption takes effect by changing the relation 
of the guilty toward God. Atonement provides the way and 
secures the existence of redemption, in perfect harmony with 
all the divine perfections. They differ, therefore, in object, 
design, and nature, "so that things may be truly affirmed of 
one which cannot be truly affirmed of the other." The atone- 
ment was completed on the cross, when Jesus said, "It is fin- 
ished." Kedemption "will not be finished till the final consum- 
mation of all things." 

Dr. Pope says, "The atonement is to be considered, first, in 
its essence as offered by Christ and accepted by God ; secondly, 
in its threefold results as the expiation of sin, as the reconcilia- 
tion of God and man, and as man's redemption." Sin had sep- 
arated God and man, and the only ground of reconciliation 
was that of atonement. The holiness of God and the purity 
of the law demanded satisfaction. Human wisdom never 
could have devised a way of reconciliation between God and 
man. "The relation of God and man was such as demanded an 
atonement; the relation of Christ and man made it possible; 
and the relation of God and Christ rendered it perfect." 
Viewed from any and all sides, the plan of salvation rises far 
above the reach of human understanding. The whole Trinity 
is connected in it. The perfect human form of Christ, sancti- 
fied by the divine nature in him, and offered through the eternal 



TEE ATONEMENT 133 

Spirit, makes the sacrifice perfect ; God, the eternal Father, is 
satisfied, the integrity and purity of the moral government is 
maintained, and God can now be just and offer pardon to all 
who will accept it. 

The doctrine of atonement, deep, mysterious, and wonderful 
as it is, is of vital importance, and should ever be considered 
as the leading doctrine of our holy Christianity. The pardon 
of sin rests alone upon the ground that complete satisfaction 
has been made to God for it. The claims of the divine law are 
as eternal as God himself. Therefore, if satisfaction has not 
been rendered to that law, no sinner ever has been, nor ever can 
be pardoned. 

The Socinians do not believe that Christ suffered in our 
stead; hence, they reject the doctrine of vicarious atonement. 
Substantially this view is held by Arians and many Unitarians. 
They hold that Christ is to be regarded in the light of a martyr 
only, and that his sufferings and death possess no saving virtue, 
beyond the influence of a heroic example. This view removes 
forever the hope of the forgiveness of sins. 

In the consideration of this great and vital doctrine, our limit 
will not permit us to do more than state some of the main points 
involved in it, and submit a few of the many plain texts in proof 
of the position assumed. We cannot afford to be mistaken on 
this fundamental doctrine. We cannot well afford to be in error 
in matters which relate wholly to this life, much less in matters 
which reach over into the life beyond. On all questions like 
this the Scriptures must be our standard of proof and appeal. 
The doctrine of atonement is woven and interwoven into every 
thread of the gospel; and if we go back through the ages of 
types and shadows we shall find that the same scarlet thread 
that was made fast to the gate of Eden was also made fast to the 
cross on Calvary. All Christian doctrine, to be trustworthy, 



134 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

must be scriptural. Each may have a philosophy and scientific 
bearing, but if not affirmed by the Scriptures, they will be left 
in the realm of doubt and speculation. This is especially true 
of the doctrine of atonement. 

1. Atonement necessary. Whence this necessity ? (1) God 
created man in his own image — morally pure. (2) God created 
man a free moral agent, and placed him under moral law. (3) 
In the exercise of his power as a moral and responsible agent, 
he violated the divine law and became a sinner. For "sin is 
lawlessness." This divine law was as immutable as God 
himself, and the penalty attached thereto was death — 
nothing more and nothing less. (4) According to the nature of 
the divine law, it cannot contain in itself any provision for re- 
moving the penalty. Neither could the lawgiver by mere pre- 
rogative, pardon the guilty. Then so far as the claim of the 
law is concerned, it must be eternal. If the law contained in 
itself a provision for pardon; or, if God, by mere prerogative, 
would pardon the guilty ; then, in effect, it would be the same 
as if no law had been given at all. Every perfection of the di- 
vine Being is, and must forever stand opposed to this view. 

Furthermore, it is a reflection on the wisdom, holiness, and 
goodness of God, to affix a penalty to a law, and then per- 
mit disobedience to pass with impunity. "All the attributes 
of God, as well as the stability and honor of the eternal throne 
itself cried aloud for the execution of the penalty of the violated 
law." Hear the voice of the law, "The soul that sinneth, it shall 
die." "The wages of sin is death." God "will by no means 
clear the guilty." 

It is vain, then, to look for pardon in the law. The voice 
of the law is death. And what has poor, fallen, guilty man to 
offer to the law as an equivalent ? He is the guilty party. The 
law will not be satisfied with anything less than the most perfect 
obedience all the time. But man has failed to render that 



THE ATONEMENT 135 

obedience, and now, no matter what he does, nor how much he 
does, he cannot make up in all time nor in all eternity for one 
disobedient act. He is fallen, and hence incapable of render- 
ing perfect obedience to a perfect law. 

Since, then, the law does not, and cannot contain within itself 
any provision for the pardon of the guilty ; and since God can- 
not, without violating the principles of his own moral govern- 
ment, pardon the guilty by mere prerogative; and since man 
is fallen and guilty before the law, and cannot by any act of 
obedience render an equivalent to the law, the conclusion is 
that pardon can be extended to the guilty only on the grounds of 
atonement, or satisfaction; and if satisfaction has not been 
rendered, the whole human race is hopelessly and eternally lost. 

The holiness, justice, and goodness of God, together with the 
purity and integrity of the moral government, demand satis- 
faction. The humiliation, suffering, and death of the only be- 
gotten Son of God prove that some great necessity demanded it. 
Wherefore all this, if there were no necessity for it? The 
claims of the law must be met, or the whole moral government 
would fall. If there had been no interposition, and the full 
penalty of the law had fallen upon man, the result would 
have been eternal separation from God and everything good. 
To provide against such a dire calamity, Jesus Christ the eter- 
nal Son of God, volunteered to come into the world and take 
upon himself human nature, and become obedient unto death. 
His relation to God, in his divine nature, and his relation to 
man, in his human nature, made it possible for him to render 
satisfaction to the law, and provide a way whereby man could 
escape from the guilt and punishment of sin. 

2. Atonement vicarious. By the term "vicarious" we mean 
one in the place of another. By vicarious atonement, then, is 
meant that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ were ex- 
piatory; "that he died in our room and stead," and thereby 



136 CHRISTIAN TEE LOGY 

rendered satisfaction to the law. If the sufferings and death 
of Jesus Christ were not meritorious, then satisfaction has never 
been rendered to the law; and if satisfaction has never been 
rendered to the law, then no sinner ever has, or ever can be par- 
doned. On the ground of atonement, or satisfaction, God can 
be just and pardon the guilty. 

In proof of the doctrine of vicarious atonement, we might 
consider in detail the types and shadows under the law. Each 
and all of them point to the sacrificial offering of Jesus Christ. 
But we can do no more than name a few of them. 

The worship under the former dispensation was sacrificial, 
and that, too, under divine appointment. God gave special di- 
rections concerning all the sacrifices under the law. 

(1) The sin offering. (Lev. 4: 27-31.) Here was the priest, 
the altar, the sacrifice, and the blood. Xow if this offering was 
not for sin, and if it did not point to Jesus Christ, then it had 
no meaning at all. 

(2) The annual atonement. This was a sacrifice offered an- 
nually by the high priests for the whole nation. "And he shall 
take of the congregation of the children of Israel two he-goats 
for a sin offering, . . . and he shall take the two goats, 
and set them before the Lord at the door of the tent of meeting. 
And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats ; one lot for the 
Lord, and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present 
the goat upon which the lot fell for the Lord, and offer him for 
a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel, 
shall be set alive before the Lord, to make atonement for him, 
to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness. . . . 
And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live 
goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of 
Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins ; and he 
shall put them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him 
away by the hand of a man that is in readiness into the wilder- 



TEE ATONEMENT 137 

ness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities 
unto a solitary land : and he shall let go the goat in the wilder- 
ness" (Lev. 16:5-22). 

Concerning this offering, Dr. Clarke has made the following 
remarks : "It is allowed on all hands that this ceremony, taken 
in all its parts, pointed out the Lord Jesus Christ dying for our 
sins, and rising again for our justification ; being put to death 
in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. Two goats are 
brought, one to be slain as a sacrifice for sin, the other to have 
the transgressions of the people confessed over his head, and 
then to be sent away into the wilderness. This animal, by this 
act, was represented as bearing away and carrying off the sins 
of the people. The two goats made only one sacrifice, yet only 
one of them was slain. One animal could not point out both 
the divine and human nature of Christ, nor show both his death 
and resurrection, for the goat that was killed could not be made 
alive. The divine and human natures of Christ were essential 
to the grand expiation, yet the human nature alone suffered, 
for the divine nature could not suffer ; but its presence in the 
human nature, while agonizing unto death, stamped the agonies 
and the consequent death with infinite merit. The goat, there- 
fore, that was slain prefigured his human nature and its death ; 
the goat that escaped pointed out his resurrection. The one 
shows the atonement for sin as the ground of justification ; the 
other, Christ's victory and the total removal of sin in the sancti- 
fication of the soul." 

That the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, as an atoning 
sacrifice for sin, were symbolized under the law, is clearly es- 
tablished by the Apostle Paul in Heb. 9 : 1-26, "lSTow even the 
first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and its sanc- 
tuary, a sanctuary of this world. For there was a tabernacle 
prepared, the first, wherein were the candlestick, and the table, 
and the shewbread ; which is called the Holy place. And after 



138 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holy of 
holies; having a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant 
overlaid round about with gold, wherein was a golden pot hold- 
ing the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of 
the covenant; and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing 
the mercy-seat ; of which things we cannot now speak severally. 
[Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests go in 
^continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services ; 
but into the second the high priest alone, once i* the year, not 
without blood, which he offereth for himself, and for the errors 
•of the people : the Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into 
the holy place hath not yet been made manifest, while as the 
first tabernacle is yet standing ; which is a parable for the time 
now present ; according to which are offered both gifts and sac- 
rifices that cannot, as touching the conscience, make the wor- 
shipper perfect, being only (with meats and drinks and divers 
washings) carnal ordinances, imposed until a time of reforma- 
tion. But Christ having come a high priest of the good things 
to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not 
made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet 
through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own 
blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having ob- 
tained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, 
and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been de- 
filed, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh : how much more 
shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered 
himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from 
dead works to serve the living God? ... I may almost 
say, all things are cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding 
of blood there is no remission. It was necessary therefore that 
the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with 
these ; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices 
than these. For Christ entered not into a holy place made with 



THE ATONEMENT 139 

hands, like in pattern to the true ; but into heaven itself, now to 
appear before the face of God for us: nor yet that he should 
offer himself often; as the high priest entereth into the holy 
place year by year with blood not his own ; else must he often 
have suffered since the foundation of the world : but now once 
at the end of the ages hath he been manifested to put away sin 
by the sacrifice of himself." 

The language of the apostle is so clear and pointed that we 
cannot mistake his meaning. By the victims offered under the 
law for the sins of the people, Christ was evidently typified. 
This is the sum of Paul's reasoning. The law would not grant 
remission of sin without the blood of a victkn. This is a 
maxim even among the Jews themselves, "There is no expia- 
tion but by blood." And so the apostle affirms, "Apart from 
shedding of blood there is no remission." It is evident from the 
apostle's reasoning a that the sacrifices of the Mosaic ritual point 
out Jesus Christ as a real atonement and expiatory sacrifice for 
sin." When Jesus Christ died on the cross, all the typical sin- 
offerings of the Mosaic law ceased. He offered himself once, 
once for all, and once for evermore. The redemption of man is 
directly attributed to the blood of Christ. 

We come now to speak more particularly of the work of 
Christ, the character of his death, what he suffered, and why 
he suffered. Let it be kept in mind that for God to forgive sin, 
without satisfaction being made to the law, does not accord with 
any of his perfections. "ISTor does it comport with the great 
love and affection of God to his Son Jesus Christ, said to be 
his beloved Son, the Son of his love, to send him into this world 
in the likeness of sinful flesh, to be vilified and abused by the 
worst of men, to be buffeted, lashed, and tortured by a set of 
miscreants, and to put him to the most cruel and shameful 
death, if sin could have been forgiven without all this, by a hint, 
a nod, or a word, saying, 'Thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou 



140 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

shalt be saved.' " Those who reject the doctrine of vicarious 
atonement are held to the answer of this question, If God, in 
harmony with all his perfections, could forgive sin without any 
satisfaction being rendered to the law, why permit all the suf- 
ferings and anguish to fall on his beloved Son ? 

Concerning the work of Christ, we lay down, and shall under- 
take to establish the following proposition, namely, Christ died 
for us, and in our stead, as an atoning sacrifice for sin. "Even 
as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to min- 
ister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matt. 20: 28). 
For how many ? Paul says, He "gave himself a ransom for all" 
(I. Tim. 2: 6). The word "ransom" means a price paid for 
the release or recovery of a person or thing held by another. 
Christ "gave himself a ransom for all" — a substitute for them — 
"the exchange of one person for another, or the redemption of 
life by life." This word "ransom" cannot be explained to mean 
anything less than a price paid for the recovery or release of 
another. Christ gave himself as the ransom price for all. 

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having be- 
come a curse for us" (Gal. 3 : 13). Christ was not changed into 
a curse, but he voluntarily assumed such a relation to the law 
that the curse which would have fallen on us fell on him; in 
this sense, therefore, he was made "a curse for us." In other 
words, he was "made an atonement for our sins ; for whatever 
was offered as an atonement for sin was considered as bearing 
the punishment due to sin." "Him who knew no sin he made 
to be sin on our behalf" (II. Cor. 5: 21). Jesus Christ was 
pure and faultless, "without spot, and blameless." How, then, 
was he made to be sin for us ? The only reasonable answer 
is that he was made a sin-offering for us, or a sacrifice for 
sin. 

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every 



TEE ATONEMENT 141 

one to his own way ; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity 
of us all" (Isa. 53: 6). He was the subject on which all the 
rays collected at the focal point fell. These fiery rays, which 
should have fallen on all mankind, diverged from divine justice 
to the east, west, north, and south, were deflected from them, 
and converged on him. So the Lord hath caused to meet in 
him the punishment due to the iniquities of us all. 

"Who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree" 
(I. Pet. 2: 24). If Christ did not die in our stead, in what 
sense, then, did he bear our sins in his own body ? Mark the 
language, "Who his own self bare our sins/' He was made a 
curse for us. Our sins were laid on him. He was made sin for 
us. How are we to explain all these passages, if we reject the 
doctrine of vicarious atonement ? 

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I re- 
ceived, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scrip- 
tures" (I. Cor. 15:3, 4). "Christ died for our sins/' If 
Christ's death was not vicarious, what did the apostle mean by 
this language ? This, he says, "I delivered unto you first of 
all," because it was of chief importance. What ? That Christ 
died as a martyr ? No. He "died for our sins." 

Look at Christ's agony in the garden, sweating great drops 
of blood. Hear him pray, "O my Father, if it be possible, let 
this cup pass away from me." Hear him exclaim, "My soul is 
exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." Then look at him on 
the cross bleeding and dying. What does it mean? What is 
all this for ? Ah ! The iniquity of us all was laid on him. 
"With his stripes we are healed." "He bare our sins in his 
own body." 

"Who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised 
for our justification" (Eom. 4: 25). "Because Christ also suf- 
fered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he 
might bring us to God; being put to death in the flesh, but 



142 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

quickened in the spirit" (I. Pet. 3:18). Christ "once suf- 
fered." What for ? Peter says "for our sins." But why suffer 
for our sins % "That he might bring us to God." 

All the blessings of salvation are, in one way or another, 
'attributed to the sufferings, death, resurrection, intercession of 
Jesus Christ. Now if he is not a propitiation for sin, or, if he 
did not render satisfaction to the divine law in our stead, why 
do the Scriptures direct us to look to him for salvation \ Why 
not look to Peter, Paul, or John ? But Peter says, "Neither is 
there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, 
wherein we must be saved" (Acts 4: 12). "Behold, the Lamb 
of God which taketh away the sin of the world." If Jesus 
Christ is not in some way an expiation for sin, he could not take 
it away. If there is no salvation in any other name, then he 
must have procured it for us. But how did he procure it for 
us ? Peter will answer this question, "Knowing that ye were 
redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from 
your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers ; but 
with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without 
spot, even the blood of Christ" (I. Pet. 1 : 18, 19). The "blood 
of Christ" is here declared to be the price actually paid down 
to purchase salvation or deliverance for the souls of mankind. 
Jesus paid the price. 

"In whom we have our redemption through his blood, the 
forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his 
grace" (Eph. 1:7). "In whom we have our redemption, the 
forgiveness of our sins" (Col. 1: 14). "Unto him that loveth 
us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood ; and he made us 
to be a kingdom, to be priests unto his God and Father ; to him 
he the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Rev. 
1:5). The united testimony of the saints on earth, and in 
heaven is, that the blood of Jesus Christ removes sin. Christ's 
blood was the redemption price paid down for our salvation. 



THE ATONEMENT 14S 

Through his blood we receive the forgiveness of sins, Now, if 
the death of the Son of God was not vicarious, how is it that we 
receive the forgiveness of sins through his blood? Why not 
through the blood of Paul or Stephen or any other good 
man? 

In the sacrificial offering of Jesus Christ the whole Trinity 
was concerned. His perfect, spotless humanity was the sacri- 
fice. This sacrifice was sanctified by the divine nature that was- 
in him, and then the offering was made through the eternal 
Spirit. (Heb. 9:14.) 

Jesus Christ is our Advocate (I. John 2:1, 2) ; our Mediator 
(Gal. 3 : 19, 20) ; and our Intercessor (Heb. 13 : 25). If Jesus 
Christ died only as a martyr, or if he were no more than a good 
man, on what ground could he become our Advocate, Mediator, 
and Intercessor? The only reasonable answer to this question 
is that he died in our stead, and thereby rendered satisfaction 
to the law. 

We shall introduce but one more passage bearing directly on 
the doctrine of vicarious atonement. "Whom God set forth to 
be a propitiation, through faith, by his blood, to shew his right- 
eousness, because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime,, 
in the forbearance of God ; for the shewing, I say, of his right- 
eousness at this present season : that he might himself be just, 
and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus" (Rom. 3 : 25,. 
26). If there was not another text in the Bible to prove the 
doctrine of atonement, this one would be sufficient. Jesus 
Christ is set forth as a propitiation for the remission of sins. 
This remission comes "through faith in his blood." And be- 
cause he was an atonement, a ransom price for the sin of the 
world, therefore God can be just and pardon every soul that 
believeth in Jesus Christ. How could God be just in forgiving 
the sins of those that believe in Jesus, if in the suffering and 



144 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

death of Jesus satisfaction had not been rendered to the law? 
The idea of substitution is clearly set forth in these scriptures ; 
and there is no one thought that should be emphasized more 
than this. Dr. Miley, in treating on the sufferings of Christ, 
says, "They are a substitute for penalty, not as the punishment 
of sin judicially inflicted upon Christ, but in such rectoral rela- 
tion to justice and law as render them a true and sufficient 
ground of forgiveness." Thus the incarnate Son of God is not 
only the representative, but the substitute of man. 

3. Atonement universal. By universal atonement is not 
meant that all mankind will be unconditionally saved ; but that 
the sacrificial offering of Jesus Christ so far satisfied the claims 
of the divine law as to make salvation possible for all. "For 
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal 
life" (John 3 : 16). "He that will, let him take the water of 
life freely" (Eev. 22:17). 

To prove that the atonement is universal, it will only be nec- 
essary to introduce a few of the many passages bearing on that 
question. Let it be distinctly understood that while we hold 
that full and complete satisfaction was rendered to the law for 
all mankind unconditionally, we do not claim that any, except 
infants, idiots, and possibly certain of the heathen will be finally 
and eternally saved unconditionally. Christ "gave himself a 
ransom for all." Therefore, salvation is possible for all. 

We turn now to the direct proof of the proposition assumed, 
which is that the atonement by Jesus Christ is universal. The 
ransom price paid down by our Lord was for all mankind. 
"For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; 
but that the world should be saved through him" (John 3 : 17). 
"And know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world/' "Be- 
hold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" 
(John 1:29). "Yea and the bread which I will give is my 



THE ATONEMENT 145 

flesh, for the life of the world" (John 6:51). By the term 
"world," as contained in these passages, is meant nothing more 
nor nothing less than the whole world of mankind. Salvation 
is for all. 

Now, take a few texts where the terms "all" and "every" 
occur. "For the love of Christ constraineth us ; because we thus 
judge, that one died for all, therefore all died" (II. Cor. 5 : 14). 
"That by the grace of God he should taste death for every man' 
(Heb. 2:9). "Who is the Saviour of all men, specially of them 
that believe" (I. Tim. 4: 10). "Who gave himself a ransom for 
all; the testimony to be borne in its own times" (I. Tim. 2 : 6). 
If Christ did not die for all, why did the sacred writers use such 
terms and in such connections as naturally and necessarily imply 
all ? The price of one soul was the price of all souls. The law 
was violated, and what would satisfy its claims for one soul 
would satisfy for all souls. It was not so much the amount of 
suffering the law demanded as the merit of the sufferer. 

We will next introduce a few texts which contain the extent, 
offers, and invitations of the gospel. "Go ye therefore, and 
make disciples of all the nations" (Matt. 28 : 19). "Go ye into 
all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation" 
(Mark 16: 15). The gospel as expressed in the Scriptures is, 
"Good tidings of great joy ... to all the people." If 
salvation is not for all, in what sense is the gospel "good tidings 
. . . to all the people"? The invitations of the gospel are 
as extensive as the race of man. "Look unto me, and be ye 
saved, all the ends of the earth" (Isa. 45 : 22). "Ho, every one 
that thirsteth, come ye to the waters" (Isa. 55:1). "Jesu3 
stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto 
me, and drink" (John 7: 37). "And the Spirit and the bride 
say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he 
that is athirst, let him come: he that will, let him take the 

10 



146 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

water of life freely" (Kev. 22 : 17). If salvation is not for all, 
why are all invited? Would a just, holy, and loving Father 
invite all to come and be saved when he had made provision 
for only a part of them ? 

That Christ died for all is evident, because all are required 
to repent, believe, and obey the gospel. (Mark 16:16; John 
3 : 18 ; 6 : 29 ; 8 : 24.) Christ died for all, because those that 
perish are directly charged with their own destruction, as the 
result of their rejection of the offers of salvation. (Matt. 23 : 
37; Luke 7: 30; Acts 13: 46.) 

In conclusion as to this great and fundamental doctrine of 
Christianity, we hold that it is in perfect harmony with the 
highest order of right reason. All nations and peoples admit 
the existence of moral wrong. All agree that the wrongdoer 
should be punished. All agree that a wise and just sovereign 
must maintain the honor, purity, and dignity of his law. Now, 
as the whole race was involved in moral guilt, and utterly un- 
able to meet the claims of the law, one of two things must occur ; 
either the whole race must perish eternally, or there must be a 
divine interposition. The wrath of heaven must be appeased, 
and the dignity of the law must be maintained, or the moral 
government of God must fall. Now suppose that a being of 
spotless purity and infinite merit should voluntarily consent to 
give his life for a lost race, is there anything unreasonable in 
that ? Such an exhibition of love might well astonish and over- 
whelm us; but is it not at least supposable that an infinitely 
wise and holy being could love more and do more than frail, 
erring man? Even Caiaphas, a wicked and worthless high 
priest, was led to say that it was "expedient . . . that one 
man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish 
not" (John 11:50). This saying was proverbial among the 
Jews. Words of similar import were used by the prince of all 
the Roman poets. They were put into the mouth of Neptune, 



TEE ATONEMENT 147 

when promising Venus that a certain fleet should be saved ex- 
cept one, whose death he speaks of in these words, 
"One life shall fall, that many shall be saved." 

In the doctrine of vicarious atonement, we have one to suffer 
and many to be saved. Every lawgiver has a moral right to 
exercise pardoning power, whenever it can be done without con- 
flicting with the best interests of his government. This, then, 
is the case: The whole race of mankind was lost, and God, 
through the impulse of his eternal love, gave his only begotten 
Son to die for the world. In the death of this Son satisfaction 
was rendered to the divine law, so that God, without infringing 
upon the justice and integrity of his moral government, can 
forgive the guilty. Men do sometimes forgive for the sake of 
others. Human governments remit penalty through the inter- 
cessions of men of merit. If the Roman Fabius, when con- 
demned to death by the dictator, was pardoned because the 
Roman people asked that he might find mercy for their sakes, 
may not a holy, just, wise, and benevolent God forgive sinners 
for the sake of a beloved Son, — especially when it is remem- 
bered that that well-beloved Son voluntarily laid down his own 
life for the sake of others ? "But he was wounded for our trans- 
gressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement 
of our peace was upon him ; and with his stripes we are healed" 
(Isa. 53:5). 

The hope of a lost world centers in the doctrine of atonement 
It includes satisfaction, propitiation, reconciliation, and re- 
demption. It provides for the full recovery of man from the 
guilt and consequences of sin, whereas death — eternal death — 
stood in the gateway, from which there was no human possi- 
bility of escape. The law must be honored; the purity and 
integrity of the moral government must be maintained. But 
how ? Man could not do it ; angels could not do it. God only 
could lift the dark cloud. What a display of justice and mercy! 



148 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

Who can comprehend its magnitude? The justice of God de- 
manded a sacrifice greater by far than men or angels could 
offer ; mercy came forward and offered just such sacrifice as his 
justice required. Herein we have a glimpse of God's "won- 
derful method of magnifying his law, and making it honorable, 
and of saving a lost world." 

Bishop D. Wilson says: "It was not a mere rescue, as a 
slave liberated by the compassion of his master; nor as of a 
debtor set free at his earnest entreaties by his creditor and lord 
as in the parable of the ten thousand talents ; nor was it accom- 
plished by the exertion of force only, as Abraham delivered Lot, 
and David, his followers from the Amalekites at Ziklag. But this 
deliverance from Satan's dominion is a redemption, something 
purchased each, a rescue by a ransom price paid down. It im- 
plies a valuable consideration, as it were, first given ; a full dis- 
charge of all that was due to the law, righteousness, and truth 
of God by a substitute or surety, a daysman coming between the 
offended Majesty of heaven and us, and making a perfect satis- 
faction to divine justice on our behalf. 'Christ* hath in this 
manner, and in no other, 'redeemed us from the curse of the 
law, having become a curse for us/ " 



CHAPTEE XVI. 

REPENTANCE. 

The doctrine of repentance is a fundamental doctrine of 
Christianity, and should be carefully studied in the light of 
God's Word. An error on this doctrine may lead to many other 
errors in Christian experience. By searching the Scriptures 
it will be seen that great prominence is given to this doctrine, 
both in the Old and the New Testaments. 

1. a The Greek word ^ravoia (repentance) properly de- 
notes the soul recollecting its own actions, and that in such a 
manner as to produce sorrow in the review and a desire of 
amendment. It is strictly a change of mind, and includes the 
whole of that alteration with respect to views, disposition, and 
conduct which is effected by the power of the gospel." 

Mr. Watson defines repentance to be "a godly sorrow wrought 
in the heart of a sinful person, from a sense of his sin, as offen- 
sive to God, and defiling and endangering to his own soul, and 
from an apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, he, with 
grief and hatred of all his known sins, turns from them to God 
as his Saviour and Lord." Dr. Hodge defines repentance thus : 
"1. The grounds of true evangelical repentance rest upon (a) 
a true sense of the guilt, pollution, and power of our own sinful- 
ness and our own sinful deeds ; and (b) a true apprehension of 
the mercy of God in Christ. 2. The essence of repentance con- 
sists in true hatred of sin and sorrow for our own sin ; (a) in 
an actual turning from them all to God; (b) in a sincere pur-; 
pose and practical endeavor to walk with God in the way of his 
commandments." 

These definitions substantially agree with each other, and are 

149 



150 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

in harmony with the plain teachings of the Scriptures. The 
pride of the human heart stands opposed to contrition, or sorrow 
for sin. If men knew more about the exceeding sinfulness of 
sin, and how utterly opposed it is to the holiness of God, they 
would see abundant grounds for contrition. Or, if they would 
consider what it cost to atone for it, they would see a reason for 
heart sorrow. No less a sacrifice than the suffering and death 
of the only begotten Son of God could render satisfaction to 
divine justice. Dr. Clarke says, "Sin must be an indescribable 
evil to require no less a sacrifice to atone for it." 

Repentance may be partial, relating mainly to ourselves, as 
when one is grieved for wrongs committed which bring hurt or 
disgrace to himself. A criminal repents of his having done 
wrong because it brings punishment. He does not abhor sin in 
his heart, nor is he grieved because he has sinned against God. 

In evangelical repentance there are two leading elements. 
These are contrition and reformation. By contrition, in a re- 
ligious sense, we understand deep sorrow for sin. This sorrow 
must of necessity be preceded by a knowledge of sin, or contri- 
tion — a deep consciousness of our guilt and lost condition. Con- 
viction is sometimes taken for repentance, but in strictness it 
is no part of repentance. Conviction may be real without re- 
pentance ; but no repentance can be real that is not preceded by 
conviction. 

To convict is to prove or find one guilty. By conviction, 
therefore, we are to understand the act of convincing of guilt. 
This is God's work, which he accomplishes by the agency of the 
Holy Spirit. The Spirit is sent to convince men of sin. So 
our Lord taught. "And he, when he [the Holy Ghost] is come, 
will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, 
and of judgement" (John 16 : 8). 

Evangelical repentance is a deep, heartfelt sorrow for sin, 
while conviction is a consciousness of guilt. No man is ex- 



REPENTANCE 151 

pected or required to convict himself, but all men are required 
to repent. "Repentance toward God" and "repentance unto 
life" imply both a consciousness of guilt and a sorrow for sin. 

Dr. Mason says, "Repentance begins in the humiliation of 
the heart and ends in the reformation of life." A soul conscious 
of its guilt and pollution cannot but feel humiliated. Dr, 
isTevins says, "Real repentance consists in the heart's being 
broken for sin and from sin." A heart broken for sin means a 
genuine repentance, while a heart broken from sin means a 
genuine reformation. But some men "appear to repent who are 
like sailors, who throw their goods overboard in a storm and 
wish for them again in a calm." 

2. Repentance reasonable. To sin against a being of abso- 
lute holiness and infinite goodness and love is a crime of fearful 
magnitude. This we have done repeatedly and knowingly. 
God, by his Spirit, convinces of sin, of our wrong-doing, and 
calls upon us to repent, that he may pardon us. This is no more 
than we demand of those who have wronged us. Has not God a 
far greater right to demand repentance of us than we have of 
our fellows ? 

3. Steps to evangelical repentance. God is the author as 
well as the object of repentance. He does not repent for us, but 
he giveth repentance. (Acts 5: 31.) God gives the means of 
repentance, for "every good gift is from above, and cometh from 
the Father of lights." All the means placed within our reach, 
to assist us to repentance, are from God. If he did not help us, 
we could not, and would not repent. But the act of contrition 
is our own. 

One step toward repentance is serious reflection on the good- 
ness of God. The precise order in which the steps leading to 
repentance may occur differs in different persons. What we 
name first may be first with some and last with others. The 
order of words is not always the order of things. But whether 



152 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

it comes first or last, serious reflection on the goodness of God is 
an important step toward repentance. No man, however hard- 
ened in sin, can seriously reflect on the goodness of God and 
not be more or less moved. Who, in looking over his past life, 
and remembering that, notwithstanding all his sinful ways and 
thoughts, goodness and mercy have followed him all his days, 
will not feel somewhat moved? One of Paul's most pow- 
erful appeals to the unregenerated was based on the goodness 
of God. "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and for- 
bearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of 
God leadeth thee to repentance V 9 (Rom. 2:4, 5.) They would 
not acknowledge that the goodness of God, manifested in a thou- 
sand ways, should lead them to repentance. They did not realize 
that this very goodness and this very forbearance were designed 
to accomplish this end. It was a maxim among the Jews 
themselves that "the holy, blessed God delays his anger against 
the wicked, to the end that they may repent and be converted." 
But for the goodness and forbearance of God, no man would 
have time to repent. Justice would cut him down in a moment. 
When Moses went up into Mount Sinai, "the Lord passed by 
before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord, a God full of 
compassion and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy 
and truth" (Ex. 34:6). The patience, goodness, and long- 
suffering of God ought to lead men to repentance. 

Another important step leading to repentance is proper con- 
sideration. God complains of Israel because they would not 
consider. (Isa. 1:3.) This consideration should be personal 
and deep. What is my origin and destiny ? To whom and for 
what am I responsible ? Has God any just claims on me ? Is 
the life I am living such as an intelligent being ought to live ? 
Does God see and know my ways ? Thoughtlessness has char- 
acterized the people of every age. Moses complains of this in 
his day. "Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, 



REPENTANCE 153 

that they would consider their latter end" (Deut. 32:29). 
"Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts: Consider your 
ways" (Hag. 1:5). Any man who will properly consider his 
ways and reflect upon the goodness and long-suffering of God, 
and the final consequences of a sinful life, will surely repent 
and turn to God. 

The means employed to bring mankind to repentance are 
abundant. These are the words of God, the living ministry, 
the Holy Spirit, the church, and the operations of divine Provi- 
dence. A thousand instrumentalities are continually at work 
to bring mankind to God. 

4. True repentance leads to reformation. Some treat re- 
pentance and reformation as synonymous, but they are not. 
Conviction precedes contrition, and reformation follows. 
"Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation." Repentance 
is never complete until it produces a thorough reformation of 
heart and life. In evangelical repentance three things are in- 
cluded: (1) Conviction; (2) contrition; and (3) reformation. 
However closely they may be allied to each other, we must not 
confound them, for they do not mutually imply each other. As 
there may be conviction without contrition, so there may be 
a reformation of life without contrition, or godly sorrow for sin. 
We cannot be too careful in forming correct ideas of genuine 
Bible repentance. In Ps. 34: 18, we read, "The Lord is nigh 
unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of 
a contrite spirit." Again, in Ps. 51 : 17, we read, "The sacri- 
fices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, 
O God, thou wilt not despise." "The broken heart and contrite 
spirit are two essential characteristics of true repentance." 
Without these no repentance is genuine. There is no substitute 
for them. There must be contrition — deep heart sorrow before 
God. Albert Barnes says: "A bruised reed is an expressive 
emblem of the soul, broken and contrite on account of sin, weep- 



154 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

ing and mourning for transgression. Christ will not break it; 
that is, he will not be haughty, unforgiving, and cruel ; he will 
heal it, pardon it, and give it strength." 

5. Necessity of repentance. Whence the necessity? (1) 
This necessity arises from the indescribable evil of sin. Sin sep- 
arates from God, brings us under condemnation, and leads to 
endless misery. (2) [Nothing but repentance will prepare the 
soul for the reception of pardon. (3) God commands it. God 
asks nothing that is unreasonable, and nothing but what is ab- 
solutely necessary. We will do well to obey what God com- 
mands. "Say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God ; 
repent, and turn yourselves from your idols" (Ezek. 14:6). 
"Kepent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1 : 15). "And they 
went out, and preached that men should repent" (Mark 6: 12). 
"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13: 3). 
"Kepent ye therefore and be converted" (Acts 17: 30). Thus 
we see that God, who is just, wise, and good, commands us to 
repent. He knows what is for our highest good in time and 
eternity. If men had not sinned, there would be no need of re- 
pentance. 

True repentance includes many things, not as parts of con- 
trition, but as leading to it and resulting from it. (1) Prayer. 
The language of every true penitent is, a God be merciful to me 
a sinner." This is the utterance of every contrite soul. He is 
deeply conscious of his guilt, and hence, also, his need of the 
mercy of God. His very soul prays. (2) Confession. "I said, 
I will confess my transgressions" (Ps. 32: 5). "If we confess 
our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and 
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I. John 1:9). Confes- 
sion of sins before God is of the nature of a solemn oath, and 
should never be used unless it is accompanied with a fixed deter- 
mination to forsake sin. (3) Faith. "For he that cometh to 
God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them 



REPENTANCE 155 

that seek after him" (Heb. 11 : 6). In the same connection, the 
apostle says, "But without faith it is impossible to please God." 
It is not claimed in this that justifying faith is essential to re- 
pentance, but a degree of faith is necessary in order to take the 
first step, for "without faith it is impossible to please God." 
True contrition is coming to God. "And he that cometh to God 
must believe that he is," etc. All, therefore, who do not believe 
that God is, and that he will reward those that seek him, will 
never come to him. 

The blessings resulting from evangelical repentance are 
pardon, peace, and everlasting life. Of these things it would 
not be proper to speak in this connection, as they belong to other 
doctrinal points. The doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ is 
one complete system. Each point of doctrine is complete in 
itself, and yet closely allied to other parts — a complete chain 
of perfect links, welded into each other, fastened to the throne 
of God, and let down to earth — a system of ethics which has 
no equal. Taylor says, "The completeness and consistency of 
its morality is the peculiar praise of the ethics which the Bible 
has taught." What if the whole world would adopt and prac- 
tically carry out the ethics taught in the Holy Scriptures — 
would not that be Eden regained \ 



CHAPTEK XVII. 

FAITH. 

"And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto 
him" (Heb. 11 : 6). "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Any 
and every service we undertake to render to God, or perform in 
his name, without faith, is wrong. Whatever approaches a 
doubt in the veracity of God is, and of necessity must be, exceed- 
ingly offensive to him. God has sworn by himself and cannot 
lie. Heaven and earth may pass away, but his Word can never 
fail. Great care should be taken in the study of this doctrine, 
so that it may be properly understood. There is a very close 
connection between repentance, faith, justification, regenera- 
tion, and adoption. The one cannot occur without the other, and 
yet neither is the other. They are distinct in their nature, but 
not separate. In this work, from beginning to end, the Holy 
Spirit is the active agent. 

1. What is faith ? A simple and correct definition is credit 
given to the truth, or a full assent of the mind given to a declara- 
tion or promise, on the authority of the person who makes it. 
With this definition accord the words of Paul, Heb. 11:1, 
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the proving of 
things not seen." Faith, then, is the full credit of the mind 
given to the truth relating to the things not seen. Herein it 
is distinguished from sight. It is the assurance of things hoped 
for, and the proving of things not seen. In this sense believers 
are said to "walk by faith, not by sight." 

To illustrate further the foregoing definition we may add that 
"faith in God is the belief of all his declarations" concerning 
the past, present, and future. "Faith in Jesus Christ is an ex- 

156 



FAITH 157 

elusive reliance on him for salvation, founded on the belief of 
those declarations of Scripture which respect the person, offices, 
and promises of Christ as the Saviour of sinners." We must 
always note the difference between a mere belief and saving 
faith. This is well illustrated in the case of Simon the sorcerer 
and the man of Ethiopia. (Acts 8.) Simon believed the 
preaching of Philip "concerning the kingdom of God, and the 
name of Jesus Christ/' and was baptized in his name, but he 
was not saved. The man of Ethiopia believed the preaching of 
Philip concerning the name of Jesus Christ, was baptized in 
his name, and was saved. Simon believed that Jesus Christ, 
whom Philip preached, was the true Messiah, just as thousands 
of the unsaved believe this day, but he did not trust in him as 
his own personal Saviour. The man of Ethiopia believed all 
that Simon did, and more. "He believed with all his heart," 
trusted in Jesus Christ as a personal Saviour, and was saved. 
Intellectually a man may believe the Bible to be the word of 
God; he may believe every fundamental doctrine proclaimed 
in the gospel, but in the matter of personal salvation the heart 
is directly concerned. "For with the heart man believe th unto 
righteousness" (Rom. 10:10). Intellectual belief does not 
carry with it the idea of trust, but in saving faith that idea is 
made pre-eminent. We must, therefore, discriminate between 
a mere intellectual belief and saving faith. 

2. 7s faith the gift of God, or is it an act of the creature? 
If we were required to give a direct and unqualified answer to 
these questions, we would say, it is neither, but in a qualified 
sense we would say it is both. It will therefore be necessary to 
consider in what sense it is the gift of God, and in what sense 
it is the act of the creature. 

"Every good gift and every perfect boon is from above, com- 
ing down from the Father of lights" (Jas. 1: 17). Whatever 
is good, pure, or excellent, either in temporal or spiritual things, 



158 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

is from God. He is the source of all good. Whatever, there- 
fore, there is in man, or about him that is good, pure, and excel- 
lent is from God. There is no natural goodness or purity in 
man. He is naturally inclined to evil, and that continually. 
Without some divine assistance he never could, nor never would 
come to God. In the wise and merciful provisions in the great 
and blessed plan of human redemption, God, in many ways, can 
assist a soul in being saved, and yet not so as to interfere with 
man as a free moral agent. "And I, if I be lifted up from the 
earth, will draw all men unto myself ' (John 12:32). This 
does not mean that all men will be forced to Christ, but that the 
preaching of the gospel and the influence of his Spirit would 
illuminate and attract. God draws, but the coming belongs to 
man. 

We have power to walk ; that power is the gift of God. We 
have power to see ; that is also the gift of God. But God does 
not walk for us, nor see for us. We may refuse to walk, or we 
may close our eyes. God gives us the power to believe, but the 
act of believing is our own. He has given us all the necessary 
facts upon which to predicate belief. The heavens over us de- 
clare his wisdom and power ; his written Word unfolds and ex- 
plains the plan of human redemption ; and the Holy Spirit evi- 
dences to our own consciousness that his Word is true. If, there- 
fore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit vouchsafed unto us, we 
exercise the ability which God has given us, and use the means 
which he has placed before us and in our reach, we may, and 
can believe to the saving of our souls. 

Dr. Pope defines saving faith to be "that act or habit of the 
penitent by which, under the influence of the divine grace, he 
puts his trust in Christ as the only and sufficient Saviour. . . . 
Saving faith is exercised under the influence of that general pre- 
venient grace without which man can do nothing good." 

There must be co-operation. While God, by his Spirit, work- 



FAITH 159 

eth in us, we must work with him. While the influence of that 
prevenient grace will help us in the exercise of saving faith, it 
will not, and cannot trust for us. The teaching of God's Word, 
from first to last, holds man responsible for the exercise of faith. 
"We should act with as much energy as those who expect every- 
thing from themselves ; and we should pray with as much ear- 
nestness as those who expect everything from God." 

"So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of 
Christ" (Rom. 10: 17). The hearing of the Word is the ordi- 
nary means of salvation. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ comes 
from hearing his Word declared. But "how shall they believe 
in him, of whom they have not heard ?" Men are required to* 
believe when the proper evidence is laid before them. There is 
God's work and man's work. God furnishes the means, and man 
is to use them. Jesus told the blind man to "go, and wash in the 
pool of Siloam." "He went, . . . and washed, and came 
seeing" (John 9:7). The power to go to Siloam, and the restor- 
ing of his sight, was from God; but the act of going and of 
washing and of returning was his own. 

Because the act of believing belongs to the creature, we are 
not thence to conclude that the believer merits anything by that 
act. God has made faith the condition of salvation, no more 
and no less. All the merit of our salvation is in Jesus Christ. 
Faith alone saves, but not a faith that is alone. 

It is well to understand that there is a vast difference between 
belief and trust, or saving faith. Trust includes belief, but be- 
lief does not necessarily include trust. Intellectually we may 
believe that the Bible is the word of God ; we may believe every 
fundamental doctrine taught in the Word of God, but that belief 
will not procure salvation. James tells us that "the devils also 
believe, and tremble." So men may believe that Christianity 
is of God, and yet never be saved. 

Gospel faith, then, includes both belief and trust — an assent 



160 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

of the mind to the truth, and full confidence and reliance upon 
God for present and future good. It must be sincere and unre- 
served. This, then, is the faith that justifies; the faith by 
which Christians stand; the faith by which they walk; and 
the faith by which they live. This faith asks no questions, offers 
no suggestions, but simply takes God at his word, and presses 
forward. 

An incident in the life of Abraham will help us to under- 
stand the practical result of trust. God promised Abraham a 
son, and in that son the nations of the earth were to be blessed. 
When that son was about thirty years of age, God bade Abraham 
go to a certain mountain and offer him (Isaac) as a sacrifice. 
He asked no questions, but immediately made the necessary 
preparations and started. It was three days' journey, which 
gave him ample time for reflection. How the nations of the 
earth were to be blessed in his son that he was to offer as a sac- 
rifice he did not know, but that was not his part of the contract. 
His was to trust and obey, and if faith was ever crowned with 
victory complete, it was in this case. Every Christian should 
read and carefully study the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. 

This faith, as set forth in the Scriptures, is progressive, as is 
also every other Christian grace. We may grow in knowledge, 
in love, in peace, in hope, in joy, and in faith. "The righteous 
shall live by f aith," and "the path of the righteous is as the shin- 
ing light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." 
"Your faith groweth exceedingly" (II. Thes. 1:3). "Not glory- 
ing beyond our measure, that is, in other men's labours; but 
having hope that, as your faith groweth, we shall be magnified 
in you according to our province unto further abundance" (II. 
Cor. 10 : 15). Our Lord speaks of "little faith" (Matt. 6 : 30), 
and of "great faith" (Matt. 8 : 10). When Paul was being con- 
veyed to Eome, the vessel was wrecked, and the storm had con- 
tinued so long that all on board but himself had given up for 



FAITH 161 

lost. When the storm was most violent, Paul prayed and re- 
ceived assurance that the vessel would be lost, but all on board 
would be saved. He went to the master and crew and said, 
"Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it 
shall be even so as it hath been spoken unto me" (Acts 27 : 25). 
There was not the shadow of a doubt in his mind. All the prom- 
ises in God's Word are just as sure as that one upon which Paul 
leaned. A careful study of God's Word, with devout, earnest 
prayer, is the very best means of increasing our faith. The 
history of God's dealings with his people down through all the 
ages; the thousand and one of his promises, resting upon his 
immutability and faithfulness, furnish a basis upon which we 
can well afford to rest our faith. "The Lord is not slack con- 
cerning his promise" (II. Pet. 3: 9). 



CHAPTEK XVIII. 

JUSTIFICATION. 

Justification is a cardinal doctrine in Christian theology. 
All evangelical denominations agree on this. Martin Luther 
styled it the "article of a standing or a falling church." "It 
spreads its vital influence through the whole body of theology; 
runs through all Christian experience, and operates in every 
part of practical godliness." This doctrine relates pre-emi- 
nently to the way, and the only way, of a penitent sinner's ac- 
ceptance with God. It is one link in the chain which leads to a 
full and complete reconciliation to God. Drop it out, and the 
whole system of Christianity is marred and incomplete. Justi- 
fication, regeneration, and adoption mutually imply each other ; 
and one cannot occur without the others, and yet neither is the 
other. They are distinct, but not separate doctrines. 

Justification is a forensic, or law term, and, if held strictly 
to that sense, it does not meet the case of a sinner guilty before 
God. It is simply a judicial act signifying that the person is 
right with the law. It has no reference to personal righteous- 
ness nor to past sins. A sinner must not only be declared justi- 
fied, that is, right with the law, but he must be made righteous, 
so as to conform to the law. In a theological sense, justification 
means more than a judicial utterance, declaring a person right 
with the law; it includes the "vital fact of forgiveness." God 
forgives the penitent believer, and then pronounces him right 
with the law. As a forensic term, it does not signify to make 
men righteous, but free from punishment according to law. But 
as all are guilty before God and under condemnation, there is 
no way by which any man can be justified save on the grounds 

162 



JUSTIFICATION 163 

of pardon. To justify the guilty without pardon, in a theological 
sense, implies a contradiction. Hence, justification, in an evan- 
gelical sense, has been defined "an act of God's free grace in 
which he pardoneth all our sins." It has also been defined, 
"That act by which God accepts us as righteous, through the 
merits of Christ." 

In a sermon delivered by Mr. Bunting, and quoted by Mr. 
Watson in his "Biblical Dictionary," we have a definition of 
justification which more fully explains our view of this great 
doctrine. We give it because it is more full than either of the 
former definitions. He says: "To justify a sinner is to ac- 
count and consider him relatively righteous ; and to deal with 
him as such, notwithstanding his past unrighteousness, by clear- 
ing, absolving, discharging, and releasing him from various 
penal evils, and especially from the wrath of God, and the 
liability to eternal death, which by that past unrighteousness he 
had deserved ; and by accepting him as if just, and admitting 
him to the state, the privileges, and the rewards of righteous- 
ness." The central idea of Mr. Bundy is the pardon of sin 
through the merits of Christ. 

Justification in an evangelical sense can only be bestowed 
upon sinners — : those who are adjudged guilty before the law. 
And inasmuch as all are gone out of the way, and are guilty 
before God, all need pardon, or justification. 

The only ground upon which sinners can be justified, or par- 
doned is the atonement. The claims of the law are eternal. The 
law did not, and could not contain in itself any provisions for 
pardon. The law said, "The soul that sinneth it shall die." The 
honor, dignity, and purity of the law must be maintained, or 
the government of heaven would fail. If, therefore, the just 
claims of the law could not in some way be satisfied, the whole 
race of mankind must perish eternally, for all were under con- 
demnation. By the sacrificial offering of Jesus Christ satisfac- 



164 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

tion was rendered to the law, so that God can now be just and 
justify, or grant pardon to all that believe in Jesus. 

1. Justification implies the forgiveness of sins. As set forth 
in the Holy Scriptures, it is bestowed upon none but the guilty. 
If any can be found who have never, in thought, word, or deed, 
violated the law of God, they may be justified by the law, with- 
out the atonement, and without repentance, faith, or pardon. 
But the Scriptures include all under sin; therefore, all need, 
and must have the benefits of the atonement, or they cannot be 
justified. 

But the Scriptures must settle this question, to which we will 
now appeal. "Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that 
through this man is proclaimed unto you remission of sins; and 
by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from 
which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13 : 
38, 39). "Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned 
as of grace, but as of debt. But to him that worketh not, but be- 
lieveth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned 
for righteousness" (Kom. 4:4, 5). "Whom God set forth to be 
a propitiation, through faith, by his blood, to shew his right- 
eousness, because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, 
in the forbearance of God ; for the shewing, I say, of his right- 
eousness at this present season: that he might himself be just, 
and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus" (Rom. 3 : 25, 
•36). 

It is clearly set forth in these texts that "the remission of 
sins" "the forgiveness of sins" and "justification" mean sub- 
stantially the same thing. This is the uniform doctrine of the 
Bible. In no other sense could God justify the ungodly. If 
justification does not mean pardon, then God must justify the 
ungodly in their ungodliness. The obvious meaning is, that God 
pardons the ungodly, and accepts them as righteous through the 
merits of Christ. In a purely legal sense, pardon, remission, 



JUSTIFICATION 165 

and justification do not mean the same thing; but in an evan- 
gelical sense, as applied to a truly penitent sinner, they mean 
substantially the same thing. They mutually imply each other, 
for neither can occur without the other. Dr. Pope states it thus : 
"Pardon rests upon the sinner, and is expressed as the free be- 
stowment of grace — He frankly forgave. Remission refers to 
the guilt or debt or penalty of sin not exacted. Justification is 
the regarding that forgiven person, whose debt is remitted, as 
being also in the position of a righteous person." While these 
fine distinctions are allowable in the discussion of the doctrine 
of justification, yet it must be conceded that in a purely evan- 
gelical sense justification and forgiveness mean the same thing. 
Dr. Miley says: "The interchanging use of justification and 
forgiveness gives to the former the meaning of the latter. Such 
use is too clear and sure to admit of any doubt. 'Be it known 
unto you therefore, brethren, that through this man is pro- 
claimed unto you remission of sins ; and by him every one that 
believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not 
be justified by the law of Moses' (Acts 13 : 38, 39). In this text 
the word 'justified' is, in meaning, the very same as that of re- 
mission, which it follows in the same sentence." Mr. Otterbeirt 
says, "Justification and the pardon of sin are one and the same 
gracious gift." Dr. Watson says, "They mean substantially the 
same thing." 

2. Justification by faith alone. By the merciful provisions 
in the wonderful plan of human redemption, God has provided 
that the guilty may obtain the benefits of the atonement on the 
condition of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is God's 
method of magnifying his law and making it honorable, and 
saving a lost world. 

Before adducing the scripture proof on the doctrine of justi- 
fication by faith alone, it may be well to remark that, while re- 
pentance is in many passages associated with faith, it is not 



166 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

made a condition of justification. Repentance is a godly sorrow 
for sin, and simply and only prepares the heart to trust in Christ 
for salvation. No impenitent sinner can trust in Christ. In 
this sense, therefore, repentance is a prerequisite to the exercise 
of saving faith, but not a condition of justification. The meri- 
torious cause of justification is the sufferings and death of Jesus 
Christ. The preparatory cause is repentance. The efficient 
cause is the Holy Spirit, and the conditional cause is faith in the 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

We will now introduce a few plain passages on the doctrine of 
justification by faith. "Being therefore justified by faith, let 
us have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 
5:1). "So that the law has been our tutor to bring us unto 
Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Gal. 3:24). 
"And by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, 
from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 
13: 39). "For the shewing, I say, of his righteousness at this 
present season : that he might himself be just, and the justifier 
of him that hath faith in Jesus" (Rom. 3: 26). "We reckon 
therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works 
of the law" (Rom. 3:28). 

If it were necessary, many other texts, equally direct on this 
question, might be given. If works are any part of the condi- 
tion of justification, the apostle would have named them. The 
uniform teaching in the gospel is justification by faith. For the 
benefit of any who may still be in doubt, we will add one text 
more. "Yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of 
the law, save through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed on 
Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and 
not by the works of the law ; because by the works of the law 
shall no flesh be justified" (Gal. 2: 16). "Neither the works 
of the Jewish law, nor any other law, could justify any man ; 
and if justification or pardon could not have been attained in 



JUSTIFICATION 167 

some other way, the world must have perished. Justification by 
faith in Jesus Christ is as reasonable as it is scriptural and nec- 
essary." 

It is well to keep in mind that all the blessings of a complete 
salvation are grounded in the vicarious sacrifice of Christ. A 
penitent sinner justified by faith in the atoning merits of Christ 
is reckoned as righteous before the law. His sins are forgiven — 
remitted, and the guilt is taken away. The righteousness reck- 
oned to a justified person is not the imputed righteousness of 
Christ, but a gracious gift from God on account of the perfect 
righteousness of Christ. Christ had a righteousness which was 
peculiar to itself. It was absolute, while that of man is relative. 
The transfer of Christ's personal righteousness to man is im- 
possible, and, even if it were possible, man could not use it. Be- 
cause the consequences of Christ's active and passive obedience 
are reckoned to the believer, we are not thence to conclude that 
his personal righteousness is imputed. 

Justification on the one condition of faith in Jesus Christ as 
the atoning sacrifice is a work of grace. It does not come to a 
penitent believer as a reward of merit, but as a free and gracious 
gift. "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemp- 
tion that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3 : 24). The vicarious sac- 
rifice of Christ was the price paid down for man's redemption, 
so that God can now be just and pardon, or justify any and all 
who believe in Jesus Christ. "By grace are ye saved through 
faith ; and that not of yourselves : it [grace] is the gift of God." 
"The thought of this grace is intensified in view of the fact that 
the ground of its exercise is a provision of the infinite love of 
God." 

The fall in Adam with the universal depravity of man pre- 
sents a dark and gloomy picture to review. But we set over 
against it a picture of the voluntary and meritorious sacrifice 
of Jesus Christ as a full and complete remedy for all the evils 



168 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

resulting from the fall. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in 
the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up ; that 
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal 
life." On the simple condition of faith in Jesus Christ the peni- 
tent sinner passes from under the condemnation of the law to 
its protection. 

Justification is a real work performed, and is instantaneous ; 
it is also personal and direct. To justify is to pardon ; to par- 
don is to acquit and release, which implies a decision — a direct 
act. It is not an act, decision, or sentence which extends through 
years, but it is instantaneous. The moment a true penitent be- 
lieves in the Lord Jesus Christ he is justified — saved. "He 
that believed on him [Christ] is not judged" (John 3:18). 
And in verse 36, the Lord says, "He that believeth on the Son 
hath eternal life." Not "shall have," but "hath eternal life." 

Justification is a work done for us; it changes our state in 
law before God as the judge. We were under condemnation; 
pronounced guilty before the law. Jesus Christ came between 
us and the law, and in our stead met and satisfied its claim, yet 
not so as to free us without our consent. When, therefore, we 
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ with all our heart, we fully con- 
sent to God's plan of saving the soul. "Because if thou shalt 
confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy 
heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: 
for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness ; and with 
the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10 : 9, 10). 
The whole question may be summed up thus : "I am a lost sin- 
ner ; Christ died and rose again to save me ; he is able to save 
me ; he is willing to save me now ; I venture upon the promise ; 
I am saved." This is rest for sorrow, and life for death. Justi- 
fied by faith in the only begotten and well-beloved Son of God. 

Good works. While faith alone justifies, faith alone will not 
preserve the soul in a justified state. The faith that justifies is 



JUSTIFICATION 169 

a living faith, and will prompt in the soul a disposition to per- 
form good deeds. The faith by which a Christian lives and 
walks is active, and neither grows nor abides if not accompanied 
by good works. It will not, and cannot live alone. "For as 
the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from 
works is dead" ( Jas. 2 : 26). In Ps. 37 : 3, we read, "Trust in 
the Lord, and do good." Our Lord not only taught a religion, but 
demonstrated it in his life. "He . . . went about doing good" 
(Acts 10 : 38). "Shew me thy faith apart from thy works, and 
I by my works will shew thee my faith" (Jas. 2 : 18). In verse 
22, we read, "Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, 
and by works was faith made perfect/' 

Dr. Spencer says : "The eye alone seeth in the body, yet the 
eye which seeth is not alone ; the forefinger alone pointeth, yet 
that finger is not alone on the hand ; the hammer alone striketh 
on the bell, yet the hammer that striketh is not in the bell alone ; 
the heat alone in the fire burneth, yet that heat is not alone with- 
out the light; the helm alone guideth the ship, yet the helm 
is not without the tackling. Thus, though faith alone doth jus- 
tify, yet that faith which justifieth is not alone, but joined with 
charity and good works. Though good works are not the cause 
why God crbwneth us, yet we must take them in our way to 
heaven, or we shall never come there." 

There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the Master 
was present, so in the second chapter of the Epistle of James 
a marriage is described, and the parties to it are faith and works. 
They were coupled by infinite wisdom; and what God hath 
joined together no man has a right to separate. They live to- 
gether, walk together, and work together in the most beautiful 
harmony and peace. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

REGENERATION. 

The term "regeneration" is from the Greek word naXivyeveaia 
and is compounded of n-dfov, '"again," and yheou; "to be," or 
*'to be again." Literally, it means a reproduction or restoration. 
Theologians and commentators have very generally used the 
term as implying that moral change which is set forth in the 
Scriptures in the use of such terms as the following : "born 
again," "born of God," "born of the Spirit," "renewed by the 
Holy Ghost," "passing from death unto life," "quickened." 
Each and all of these terms imply a reproduction, or moral res- 
toration, by which an individual becomes a child of God. We 
shall aim to set forth as clearly as possible what is implied and 
included in the work of regeneration. 

This great moral change implies more than a mere conversion, 
more than justification, more than a mere external reformation, 
more than an observance of the outward forms of religion. It 
includes all these, but implies vastly more. What, then, is re- 
generation ? 

1. It is a radical change in the moral nature. "It is," says 
Mr. Watson, "a deliverance from the bondage of sin." Mr. 
Wesley says, "Justification relates to that great work which God 
does for us, in forgiving our sins ; and regeneration relates to 
the great work which God does in us in renewing our fallen 
nature." "In order of time, neither of these is before the other ; 
in the moment we are justified by the grace of God, through 
the redemption that is in Jesus, we are also born of the Spirit." 
On this Mr. Watson says, "They occur at the same time, and 
they all enter into the experience of the same person ; so that 

170 



REGENERATION 171 

no man is justified without being regenerated and adopted, and 
no man is regenerated and made a son of God who is not justi- 
fied." Dr. Miley says : "While regeneration is closely related 
to justification, there are real points of difference between them. 
They differ widely in the grounds of their necessity. The neces- 
sity for justification lies in the fact of guilt, while the necessity 
for regeneration lies in the depravity of our nature. Hence, 
they must fulfill different offices in the work of our salvation. 
It is the office of justification to cancel our guilt, while it is the 
office of regeneration to renew or purify our moral nature. . . . 
We are justified and regenerated on the same act of faith. The 
two great blessings are not separately offered to separate acts of 
faith; they are offered together as inseparable blessings of the 
salvation in Christ, and so are received on one and the same 
faith." 

This cardinal doctrine must be studied in the light of God's 
Word. It relates to man's moral nature, and can only be un- 
derstood as it is revealed in the Scriptures. Forms and cere- 
monies all are right in their places, but none of them, nor all 
of them together, can take the place of regeneration. "The sac- 
raments are the seals and pledges of the new life," but they are 
not the life itself. It is a new life in Christ Jesus, born in the 
soul by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is sometimes spoken 
of as the Christ life. Paul says, "I live ; yet not I, but Christ 
liveth in me." But we turn directly to the Word of God, which 
alone must teach us the necessity and nature of this great 
change. 

In Titus 3:5, regeneration is called the "renewing of the 
Holy Ghost." In John 1 : 13, it is called "being born of God." 
In John 3 : T, it is called "born anew," and in verse 5, it is 
called "born of the Spirit." So that to be "renewed by the Holy 
Ghost," "born anew," "born of God," and "born of the Spirit" 
mean the same thing. All the passages show that regeneration 



172 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

is a radical change of the moral nature by the power of the Holy 
Spirit, whereby the soul is delivered from the power of sin and 
made alive unto God. It may also be considered as a recovery 
of the moral image of God upon the heart. 

While in an unregenerated state "the mind of the flesh is en- 
mity against God ; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither 
indeed can it be." It, the carnal mind, is enmity against God; 
it is sin in itself, and cannot and will not be subject to the law of 
God. It must be removed. It is the work of regeneration to 
destroy this carnal nature and bring the moral in subjection to 
the law of God. In order to love and obey God, the moral na- 
ture must be changed. Love is the fulfilling of the law. All 
the law and the prophets hang on that one word love. John 
says, "He that loveth not, knoweth not God." Again he says, 
"Every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God." 
To love and obey God implies a nature that tends toward God. 
The tendency of the carnal mind is against God — "it is not sub- 
ject to his law, neither indeed can be" — hence, the necessity of 
regeneration. Without this change the soul would go on hating 
and disobeying God forever. Obedience that is not prompted by 
love is not acceptable to God. Jesus said, "If ye love me, ye 
will keep my commandments." ]STo unregenerate person can 
love God ; his very nature is opposed to God. 

2. This great change is wrought in the soul by the power of 
the Holy Spirit. Whatever means and instrumentalities may 
be employed to bring the soul to Christ, it is nevertheless true 
that the change in the soul is wrought by the direct and per- 
sonal energy of the Holy Spirit. The nature of the work itself 
indicates superhuman power. It is a birth, a quickening, a 
resurrection, sl renewing, a restoration, a change of heart, a new 
creature. This is a work which no power can effect but the 
power of the Holy Spirit 

3. Regeneration is a passive work. Herein it differs from 



REGENERATION 173 

conversion. In conversion, we are, and of necessity must be, 
ac tive — we turn to God. In regeneration, we are passive, and 
receive from God. Repentance toward God, and faith in the 
Lord Jesus Christ, will bring the soul to God ; it then becomes 
passive, as the clay in the hands of the potter, while the Holy 
Spirit, by his divine power, changes its moral nature. 

4. Regeneration is a complete work, and perfect in its kind. 
Justification is also a complete work, but it differs widely from 
regeneration. While it is true that neither can occur without 
the other, yet justification, however complete in its kind, is not 
regeneration. Justification is a work done for us, while regen- 
eration is a work done in us. The former pardons, the latter 
renews. If it were possible to live in merely a justified state, 
we could not love nor obey God, because our very nature is op- 
posed to God. Our moral nature must be changed, which is the 
work of regeneration. 

5. Regeneration is an instantaneous work. The idea of a 
gradual regeneration is absurd. What God does for us, or in us, 
is done in a moment. To grow into regeneration by a process of 
education, or a succession of acts, of what sort soever cannot be. 
We can form no conception of a gradual regeneration. If it 
could be so, then there would be a time in the process when the 
soul would be one-fourth or one-half regenerated. And during 
the whole process the soul would be without any distinctive 
moral character. Jesus said to the thief on the cross, "To-day 
shalt thou be with me in paradise." Here pardon and regenera- 
tion must have taken place in a moment of time. It should be 
understood that justification, or the pardon of sin, and regenera- 
tion are concomitant. The one cannot occur without the other. 
When Jesus said, "Thy sins be forgiven thee," the soul was then 
and there regenerated. On the day of Pentecost three thousand 
were converted and regenerated in a very short time. The par- 
don of sin, without a change of the moral nature, would not, 



174 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

and could not benefit the soul. It would still go on hating God,, 
for "the mind of the flesh is enmity against God." It would 
not be fit to commune with God, in earth or heaven. "Ye must 
be born again." 

As to instantaneous regeneration, it is not to be understood 
that the soul is thereby in every respect made perfect. Justifi- 
cation is instantaneous and perfect in kind, and so is regenera- 
tion, but there are Christian attainments above and beyond 
these. "Regeneration reverses the current of the affections, and 
so renews the whole soul that all the Christian graces exist." 
"The infant born into the world is the man in miniature. All 
the parts of the body, and all the faculties of the mind are there 
in embryo. So the regenerated sinner is the saint in embryo. 
The new principles are there, the new affections are there, the 
saint is there, but in infancy." 

It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of this 
doctrine. In the economy of grace it has no substitute. It 
stands for itself. Forms and ceremonies have their appropriate 
places ; but neither of them, nor all of them together can take 
the place of regeneration. When Nicodemus expressed surprise 
concerning the doctrine of the new birth, our Lord said, "Marvel 
not that I said unto thee, Ye must be bom again/* Efforts are 
being made which it would seem are intended to explain away 
the ruggedness of this doctrine ; a disposition to transfer from 
the moral to the intellectual. But the change is neither physical 
nor intellectual, but of a nature wholly different. Both body 
and mind may be affected by it, but the change itself is wholly 
moral or spiritual. No new powers are added to the physical 
or intellectual man. The cultured and uncultured, the learned 
and unlearned, may experience this moral or spiritual change. 
There is but one power in the universe that can effect this 
mighty change, and that is the personal agency and power of 
the Holy Spirit. 



REGENERATION 175 

6. The fruits of regeneration are many and grand. Love, 
joy, peace, long-suffering, meekness, gentleness, faith, temper- 
ance, are among the fruits that flow from a regenerated soul. 
A new heart, a new man, a new life ; the current of nature is 
changed. He is a new creature, with new hopes, new desires, 
new joys, new prospects, new pursuits, and new aims. "The 
natural birth is the commencement of natural life, so the spir- 
itual birth is the commencement of spiritual life." Every grace 
of the Holy Spirit is planted in the soul at the moment of re- 
generation. a 01d things have passed away, and behold all 
things are become new." If he is true to the principles of this 
new life planted in him, his pathway will not only be upward, 
but it will shine more and more, even unto the perfect day. 
Boston describes it thus : "Regeneration is a universal change. 
All things become new. It is a blest leaven that leavens the 
whole lump, the whole spirit and soul and body. One gets not 
only a new head to know religion, or a new tongue to talk of it, 
but a new heart to love and embrace it. When the Lord opens 
the sluice of grace on the soul's new birthday, the waters run 
through the whole man, to purify and make him fruitful." 

As a fit closing of this brief article, we will give the language 
of Mr. Watson, "Regeneration is that mighty change in man 
wrought by the Holy Spirit, by which the dominion which sin 
has over him in his natural state, and which he deplores and 
struggles against in his present state, is broken and abolished; 
so that, with full choice of will and the energy of right affection, 
he serves God freely and runs in the way of his commandments." 



CHAPTER XX. 

ADOPTION— SONSHIP. 

In a technical sense there is a difference between adoption, 
sonship, and heirship; but in an evangelical sense they mean 
substantially the same thing. The Scriptures, as we shall see, 
use the terms interchangeably. The Holy Spirit is the active 
agent in bringing about this relationship. In an unregenerate 
state man is represented as an alien and foreigner. While he 
belongs to the family of God in a general sense, he is in rebel- 
lion against the moral government of God, and hence not a mem- 
ber of the household of faith. Theologians are not all of the 
same opinion concerning the time when adoption takes place. 
Some place it before and some after regeneration. From the 
nature of the work itself it would seem most reasonable to con- 
clude that it is immediately consequent upon regeneration. In 
the order of time, we may not be able to distinguish between 
them; but from the nature of the work done, we know they 
are not one and the same thing. Dr. Ralston says : "Justifica- 
tion, regeneration, and adoption, though distinct from each 
other in nature, are always simultaneous in occurrence. Justi- 
fication removes our guilt, which is a barrier in the way of our 
admission into God's family; regeneration changes our hearts, 
imparting a fitness for admission into the family, and adoption 
actually receives us therein." Now while all this may occur in 
a single moment of time, yet each work in its nature is different 
from the other; and each is definitely set forth in the Scrip- 
tures. Dr. Miley says: "As related to the Father's love and 
the inheritance of his children, sonship by adoption is the very 
same as sonship by regeneration. They are all heirs of God and 

176 



ADOPTION— SONSHIP 177 

joint-heirs with Christ, and shall be like him." This sonship, 
this heirship is in itself no mean inheritance. 

In studying this doctrine, it is well to keep in mind our con- 
dition by nature. We are strangers and enemies to God. We 
are aliens from his spiritual family. We have no title to any- 
thing better in the world to come. By adoption, we are received 
into God's spiritual family ; "so then ye are no more strangers 
and sojourners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, and 
of the household of God" (Eph. 2: 19). All this comes to us 
as a free gift, through the vicarious death of Jesus Christ. 

The Scriptures abundantly teach that all true Christians are 
members of God's family. They are children of God — sons and 
daughters of the Almighty — one family — the whole family 
in heaven and earth in one. The saints on earth, the spirits of 
the just in heaven, and all the holy angels make "but one family. 
By adoption we become members of this family. "Behold what 
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should 
be called children of God" (I. John 3:1). "Come ye out from 
among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch no 
unclean thing ; and I will receive you, and will be to you a Fa- 
ther, and ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord 
Almighty" (II. Cor. 6 : 17, 18). "But when the fulness of the 
time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under 
the law, that he might redeem them which were under the law, 
that we might receive the adoption of sons" (Gal. 4:4, 5). 
"For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear ; but 
ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Fa- 
ther" (Eom. 8:15). 

By adoption, we are constituted heirs of God and joint-heirs 
with Jesus Christ, by which we are entitled to the blessings and 
privileges of the family. "Giving thanks unto the Father, who 
made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in 
light" (Col 1:12). "And if children, then heirs; heirs of 

12 



178 CHEISTIAN THEOLOGY 

God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Bom. 8 : 17). "So that thou, 
art no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an 
heir through God" (Gal. 4:7). "Unto an inheritance incor- 
ruptible, and undefiled, and that f adeth not away, reserved in 
heaven for you" (I. Pet. 1:4). All the liberties, privileges, 
relations, provisions, and security of a son or daughter are 
pledged by the Father to each member of his family. "For all 
things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the 
world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come ; all 
are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's" (I. Cor_ 
3 : 22, 23). All these blessings come to us as the result of adop- 
tion — sons and daughters of God, children of God, heirs of 
God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. "This is honor amply 
sufficient." 

Dr. John Flavel says: "Betwixt civil and sacred adoption 
there is a twofold agreement and disagreement. They agree in 
this, that both flow from the pleasure and good will of the- 
adoptant; and in this, that both confer a right to privileges 
which we have not by nature ; but in this they differ ; one is an 
act imitating nature, the other transcends nature ; the one was 
found out for the comfort of them that had no children, the 
other for the comfort of them that had no Father. Divine 
adoption is in Scripture either taken properly for that act or 
sentence of God by which we are made sons, or for the privi- 
leges with which the adopted are invested. We lost our in- 
heritance by the fall of Adam ; we receive it by the death of 
Christ, which restores it again to us by a new and better title." 

There is a dignity and an honor in being adopted into God's 
spiritual family not found in any earthly relationship. The 
sons and daughters of earthly kings and queens count it no small 
honor to sustain such relationship ; but what is that to be com- 
pared with the relationship of a Christian, however humble his 
position in life may be ? Christians sometimes forget the dig- 



ADOPTION— SON SHIP 179 

nity o£ their position and the future honor that awaits them. 
John, in his first epistle 3 : 2, utters words which imply more 
than we are able to comprehend, "Beloved, now are we chil- 
dren of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. 
We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him ;. 
for we shall see him even as he is." Add to this the language of 
Paul, Phil. 3: 21, "Who [Christ] shall fashion anew the body 
of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his 
glory." All that is promised in these scriptures awaits those 
who are adopted into God's spiritual family. They have God 
for their Father, Jesus Christ for their elder brother, and angels 
for their familiar companions. That will be a kingdom of 
priests, or a royal priesthood. (Eev. 1:5, 6.) When Cyneas, 
the ambassador of Pyrrhus, returned from Rome, he was asked 
what he thought of the city and state. He said that it seemed 
to him to be a state of none but great statesmen and a common- 
wealth of kings. Such is heaven — "a parliament of empero^ 
a commonwealth of kings; every humble saint in that king- 
dom is coheir with Christ, hath a role of honor and a scepter of 
power and a throne of majesty and a crown of glory." 



CHAPTER XXL 

WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT— ASSURANCE. 

Whatevek difference theologians may make between the 
^witness of the Spirit" and the doctrine of "assurance," they 
nevertheless cover substantially the same ground, for whether 
we speak of one or the other, the Holy Spirit is the active agent 
in dealing with the inner consciousness. The doctrine of assur- 
ance is one of the precious doctrines of the gospel. Conviction 
reveals to us the deadly nature of sin, justification removes the 
guilt of sin, regeneration changes our moral nature, adoption 
brings us into God's family, and the Holy Spirit, witnessing 
with our spirit, brings to the consciousness the assurance of son- 
ship. There is no doctrine more clearly taught in God's Word 
than that of experimental religion. While we may not under- 
stand the mode of the Spirit's operation in producing the assur- 
ance of sonship, we may, and can know the fact. The man 
whose sight the Lord restored did not presume to explain the 
mystery, but insisted upon one fact, "One thing I know, that, 
whereas I was blind, now I see." If this assurance could be 
reached only by some process of logical reasoning, a mathe- 
matical calculation, then many would be compelled to die with- 
out it. But as it is, the learned and the unlearned, the wise and 
the unwise, the rich and the poor, all may have it on the same 
conditions. All may have the witness of the Spirit — the blessed 
assurance of sonship. 

1. While the evidence in the experience of Christians may, 
and often does differ, and in some cases may be accompanied by 
doubts, it is nevertheless true that a life of faith will bring to 
the consciousness of every sincere Christian the blessed assur- 

180 



WITNESS OF TEE SPIRIT— ASSURANCE 181 

ance of adoption into God's family. This truth is most clearly 
set forth in God's Word. 

2. The inward evidence of acceptance with God is communi- 
cated to the consciousness of the believer by direct witness of 
the Holy Spirit. In whatever terms it is set forth in the Bible, 
it is to be understood as the work of the Spirit. God, the Fa- 
ther, through, or on account of the merits of his well-beloved 
Son, accepts the penitent believer and grants pardon. The Holy 
Spirit, the executive officer in the Holy Trinity, then renews 
the heart, adopts into the family of God, and imparts to the 
consciousness the blessed assurance of that fact. 

3. In confirmation of the doctrine herein set forth, we will 
appeal directly to the Scriptures. All must yield to this au- 
thority. "The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, 
that we are children of God" (Rom. 8: 16). In verse 15, the 
apostle says, "For ye received not the spirit of bondage again 
unto fear ; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we 
cry, Abba, Father." "And because ye are sons, God sent forth 
the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father" 
(Gal. 4: 6). "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the 
witness in him" (I. John 5 : 10). On this last text, Dr. Clarke 
says : "This is God's witness to a truth, the most important and 
interesting to mankind. God has witnessed that whosoever be- 
lieveth on his Son shall be saved and have everlasting life, and 
shall have the witness of it in himself, the Spirit bearing wit- 
ness with his spirit that he is a child of God. To know, to feel 
his sin forgiven, to have the testimony of this in the heart from 
the Holy Spirit himself, is the privilege of every true believer 
in Christ." 

These passages teach plainly that the Spirit testifies to the 
believer that he is adopted into the family of God. Can it be 
that all this witnessing of the Spirit with spirit may occur 
Iwithin, and the humble believer know nothing of it ? Can the 



182 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

Spirit cry out from the heart, and we know nothing of it % Can 
a believer have the witness in himself and not know it \ It is 
a most merciful provision in the great plan of human redemp- 
tion that a believer may know within himself that he is a child 
of God. None need go groping his way to the tomb in darkness. 
He may know, by the Spirit's testimony, that he is an heir of 
heaven. Christianity has its doctrine, its forms and ceremonies, 
and it has its experience, too. "If any man willeth to do his 
will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God 
or whether I speak from myself" (John 7:17). "And it 
is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the 
truth." 

4. The Christian's own spirit is a witness in the case. It 
bears testimony to the consciousness clear and distinct. This 
form of testimony is named in many places in the Bible. "For 
what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man 
which is in him ?" (I. Cor. 2 : 11.) The new version renders the 
passage thus, "For who among men knoweth the things of a 
man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him?" This, I 
think, is the better rendering of the text. The Spirit of God 
bears witness with our spirit, and our spirit bears witness 
to our own consciousness. "Hereby shall we know that we are 
of the truth, and shall assure our heart before him, where- 
insoever our heart condemn us; because God is greater than 
our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart con- 
demn us not, we have boldness toward God" (I. John 3: 19- 
21). "In that they shew the work of the law written in their 
hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their 
thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them* 
(Rom. 2: 15). "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my con- 
science bearing witness with me in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 9 : 
1, 2). "For our glorying is this, the testimony of our conscience, 
that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom 



WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT— ASSURANCE 183 

but in the grace of God" (II. Cor. 1 : 12). These passages are 
so plain and direct that they need no comment. 

5. Finally, on the doctrine of experimental Christianity, 
we will group together a few passages from the Old and the Xew 
Testament, bearing the direct and personal testimony of those 
by whom the words were uttered. "But I know that my re- 
deemer liveth" (Job 19:25). "Great peace have they which 
love thy law; and they have none occasion of stumbling" (Ps. 
119 : 165). "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out 
of the miry clay; and he set my feet upon a rock, and estab- 
lished my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even 
praise unto our God" (Ps. 40:2,3). "And in that day thou shalt 
say, I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord ; for though thou wast 
angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comf ortest 
me" (Isa. 12 : 1, 2). "Who also sealed us, and gave us the ear- 
nest of the Spirit in our hearts" (II. Cor. 1: 22). "Tor we 
know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, 
we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, 
eternal, in the heavens" (II. Cor. 5:1). "For I know him 
whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to 
guard that which I have committed unto him against that day" 
(II. Tim. 1: 12). "Whom not having seen ye love, on whom, 
though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with 
joy unspeakable and full of glory" (I. Pet. 1:8). 

There are very many passages in the Bible which teach in 
plain, unambiguous terms the doctrine of experimental religion. 
We may know by experience that we have "passed from death 
unto life" ; that we are "the children of God" ; that our "Re- 
deemer liveth" ; that "we have peace with God, through our 
Lord Jesus Christ" ; and that the "love of God is shed abroad 
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Let 
no one, then, be content with the mere forms of religion, but 
earnestly and perseveringly seek for the witness of the Spirit, 



184 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

for "the Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we 
are children of God." John Wesley says: "The testimony 
of the Spirit is an inward impression of the soul, whereby the 
Spirit of God directly witnesses to my spirit that I am a child 
of God ; that Jesus Christ hath loved me, and given himself for 
me; and that all my sins are blotted out, and I, even I, am 
reconciled to God. Thus 'the testimony of our own spirit' is, 
with the most intimate conviction, manifested to our hearts, in 
such a manner as, beyond all reasonable doubt, to evince the 
reality of our sonship." 

The Scriptures abundantly point out the danger of being de- 
ceived. The heart under the influence of sin is "deceitful above 
all things. . . . Who can know it V A person may believe 
the Bible to be the word of God; he may believe all the car- 
dinal doctrines of the gospel, and on that belief he may unite 
with the church and observe all the ordinances of the church, 
and feel a degree of satisfaction from the consciousness of hav- 
ing done these things, which are all right in and of themselves. 
But there is a wide difference between this kind of satisfaction 
and the consciousness of being saved. Simon of Samaria, when 
he heard the preaching of Philip concerning the kingdom of 
God and the name of Jesus Christ, believed and was baptized, 
and continued with the disciples for some time. But when Peter 
came down to Samaria, the discovery was made that his heart 
was not right — he was yet unsaved. Under the preaching of 
Philip, the man of Ethiopia believed just what Simon believed, 
and was baptized and went on his way rejoicing. (Acts 8 : 5- 
39). Simon had a degree of satisfaction from what he believed 
and did. The man of Ethiopia had the same satisfaction, but 
he had something more, he had the witness of the Spirit within, 
giving him the assurance that he was saved, and because of this 
inner consciousness he went on his way rejoicing. Teachers of 
sacred things cannot be too careful in drawing the line between 



WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT— ASSURANCE 185 

a mere satisfaction growing out of the fact of having done cer- 
tain things, and the blessed assurance of being saved. Dr. ~N. 
Caussin says, "A hundred thousand tongues may discourse to 
you about the sweetness of honey ; but you can never have such 
knowledge of it as by taste. So a world full of books may tell 
you wonders of the things of God in religion ; but you can never 
understand them exactly but by the taste of experience." 

It is not only a wonderful, but a gracious provision in the plan 
of human redemption, that we may know beyond a peradventure- 
that we are the children of God by adoption. When the dis- 
ciples returned from their first missionary tour, they were full 
of joy at their success. They said, "Lord, even the devils are 
subject unto us in thy name." He did not reprove them 
for bringing in such a report, but in his gentle and kindly man- 
ner he reminded them of something better. "Howbeit in 
this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but 
rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven" ( Luke 
10: 17-20). Every Christian may know this as certainly as he 
knows that he is living. Whenever the Spirit himself beareth 
witness with his spirit that he is a child of God, and adopted into 
his family, he knows that his name is written in heaven. 



CHAPTEE XXII. 

SANCTIFICATION. 

We enter upon the investigation of the doctrine of sanctifica- 
tion with no small degree of solicitude. It is a fundamental 
doctrine of Christianity, and of vast importance to the Chris- 
tian church. There are but few questions in theology upon 
which there is a greater variety of opinions. All evangelical 
Christians hold that it is a Bible doctrine, but they differ as to 
its nature and the time when it is, or may be reached. Some 
hold that it is a state of grace into which none can enter until 
the hour of death. Others hold that it is concomitant with 
regeneration, and is completed at that time. Another class be- 
lieve that it is a growth, extending all along from regeneration 
to the death of the body. Still another class believe that it has 
its beginning at the time of regeneration, but its completion is 
subsequent to regeneration and instantaneous. This latter view, 
with certain qualifications, we hold to be most in harmony with 
the teachings of God's Word. 

Sanctification is not regeneration. It is distinct in its nature, 
but not necessarily separate from regeneration. Justification, 
regeneration, and adoption are three distinct but not separate 
works. So. while sanctification has its beginning at the time 
of regeneration, in its nature it is distinct from it. It is not 
claimed that the blessing of entire sanctification may not be 
received at the time of regeneration, but ordinarily this is not 
the case. ~No matter when it is received, it is a distinct bless- 
ing of grace wrought in the soul by the Holy Spirit. Experi- 
ence is not to be reckoned as positive evidence in a matter of 
such vast importance, neither should it be wholly ignored. It 
is the experience of the great majority of regenerated persons 

186 



SANCTIFICATION 187 

that something remains to be done. Dr. Miley says, "There is 
widely in the consciousness of the regenerate a sense of incom- 
pleteness in their spiritual life ; a sense of the lack of that full- 
ness which is the happy experience of some Christians, and 
which must be the common privilege of believers.'' This feeling 
is almost universal. 

JSTo matter what view of entire sanctification we may adopt, 
we shall find some difficulties in the way. We are not altogether 
clear on the doctrine of depravity. Regeneration is complete in 
its kind, but is every vestige of depravity taken away in re- 
generation % If it is, whence arises this sense of incompleteness 
in Christian experience ? Why these inner conflicts ? If the 
soul is thoroughly cleansed in regeneration, there is no room for 
sanctification. But the Scriptures teach the doctrine of entire 
sanctification as subsequent to regeneration. Entire sanctifica- 
tion brings to completeness the inner spiritual life created in 
the soul by regeneration. We have a very instructive lesson in 
John 15:2, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he tak- 
eth it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth 
it, that it may bear more fruit." Observe that the branch is in 
the vine, and bearing some fruit, but by purging, or cleansing, 
it will bring forth more fruit. Regenerated persons are in 
Christ just as the branch is in the vine. As the branch needed 
cleansing in order to greater fruitfulness, so the regenerated, 
by a thorough cleansing, will bring forth more and better fruit. 

Because entire sanctification is subsequent to regeneration, 
and instantaneous, this does not preclude the idea of a gradual 
approach to it. Neither does it preclude the idea of a growth in 
grace after the blessing is obtained. The branch grew and bore 
some fruit before it was cleansed, but it grew faster and bore 
more fruit after it was cleansed. Dr. Pope defines sanctifica- 
tion to be "the work of the Holy Spirit alone, applying the vir- 
tue of the atonement in the removal of the last trace of the in- 



188 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

dwelling or pollution of sin and consecrating the entire nature 
of the believer to God in perfect love." Otterbein defines it 
thus, "The Word of God speaks plainly enough, making a differ- 
ence between justification and sanctification. And this differ- 
ence accords with reason, for is it not one thing when Pharaoh 
takes Joseph from prison, and another when he enrobes him in 
kingly apparel and sets him a prince over the whole land of 
Egypt?" 

Dr. McCabe says: "By holiness I mean that state of the 
soul in which all its alienation from God and all its aversion to 
a holy life are removed. In this state sin is odious. The more 
holy any soul, any being is, the more odious sin becomes. To 
a good man sin is odious ; to a holy man it is more odious ; to 
an angel it is far more so still ; but to God sin must be incon- 
ceivably odious. And therefore it is said that the heavens are 
not clean in his sight, and that he charged the angels with folly, 
so insignificant is their holiness when contrasted with the holi- 
ness of God. Holiness admits of an infinite number of degrees, 
and there is set before us an eternal progression in holiness. 
But that degree of it, or that state of the soul in which tempta- 
tion to sin leaves no damaging moral influence, no tarnish of 
sin, no pain in the conscience, no corruption of the will, no 
obscurity or perversion of the spiritual vision — that state in 
which the all-efficacious blood of Jesus has washed away all the 
stains of sin, and in which the Holy Spirit constantly presides, 
rules, and reigns without a rival — is what we call sanctifica- 
tion." 

The evidences of sanctification are as clear to the individual 
consciousness as of regeneration. And why should it not be so, 
since the Spirit that changes the moral nature is the active 
agent in cleansing the soul ? The privilege of sanctification is 
not for a select few, but for all. If there is a reason why any 
soul should not be freed from all sin, we fail to find any such 



SANCTIFICATION 189 

reason set forth in the Scriptures. We read that Jesus died 
for our sins ; that his blood cleanseth from all sin, and from all 
unrighteousness; and that he is able to save to the uttermost 
all that will come unto God by him. 

We turn now to the Scriptures, and learn from them what 
we are to believe and what we are to do. There are three terms 
in the Bible which are substantially identical when used 
in relation to mankind. These are holiness, sanctification, and 
'perfection. Absolute holiness and perfection belong to no being 
in the universe but God alone. When, therefore, we speak of 
holiness, of perfection in relation to Christian character, we 
wish to be understood as using those terms in a relative sense. 
Angels are only relatively perfect ; so a Christian may be rela- 
tively perfect, or holy. The absolute holiness of God suggests 
to the mind the absolute necessity of holiness in man in as high a 
degree as it is possible. The provisions in the plan of human 
redemption are ample and complete, so that we may be all that 
God requires us to be. He requires us to be holy, pure, and 
perfect in our sphere as angels are perfect in their sphere. 

Sanctification, as we understand the doctrine, has its begin- 
ning in regeneration, and entire sanctification is the maturing 
of all the graces imparted to the soul at the time of regeneration. 
Mr. Fletcher says, "We give the name of 'Christian perfection' 
to that maturity of grace and holiness which established adult 
believers attain to under the Christian dispensation." Because 
sanctification has its beginning in regeneration, we are not 
thence to conclude that it is synonymous with regeneration, or 
that it is then and there completed. There is a maturity — an 
entire sanctification subsequent to regeneration. Mr. Wesley 
and Mr. Watson fix the commencement of sanctification at the 
time of regeneration, but they make a distinction between that 
and being sanctified wholly. 

Sanctification, when used in the sense of holiness or Chris- 



190 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

tian perfection, is a higher state of religious experience than 
regeneration. Mr. Ralston, in his "Elements of Divinity," 
holds that sanctification has its beginning at the time of re- 
generation; but that " entire sanctification is an advanced, or 
matured state in religious attainment, which it is the duty and 
privilege of all justified persons earnestly to seek by faith and 
prayers." This is substantially the view of the majority of the 
commentators and theologians. 

The works of grace wrought in and for the soul, however 
closely they may be allied to each other in point of time, are not 
the same in kind. Justification, regeneration, adoption, and 
the witness of the Spirit all differ in kind ; each is distinct in 
nature, and neither of them, nor all of them combined is entire 
sanctification. The believer, when born again, and made a new 
creature, is sanctified in an important degree, but to be "sancti- 
fied wholly" is a work wrought in the soul after regeneration. 
Because some persons have become fanatical on the doctrine of 
sanctification is no argument against it. Such men as Wesley,, 
Fletcher, Clarke, Watson, Upham, Benson, Ralston, Lee, Pope, 
Miley, Otterbein, and Edwards can hardly be classed with 
fanatics. These men all believed that sanctification is a dis- 
tinct work and subsequent to regeneration. Some persons have 
become fanatical on baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the second 
coming of Christ, but we do not set these doctrines aside on that 
account. Sanctification is as clearly and distinctly taught in 
the Holy Scriptures as justification and regeneration. Why 
oppose or try to explain it away when it proposes a cleansing of 
the soul from all the defilement of sin, and filling it with all the 
fullness of God ? It proposes no additional burdens, but greater 
freedom. It proposes no less peace, but perfect peace. It pro- 
poses no less love, but perfect love. It proposes no less faith, 
but perfect faith. It proposes no less joy, but an unspeakable 
joy. Dr. Ralston says, "It matters but little whether this emi- 



SANCTIFICAXWX 191 

nent state of holiness be gained by a bold, energetic, and de- 
termined exercise of faith and prayer, or by a gradual process — 
whether it be instantaneous or gradual, or both the one and the 
other. The great matter is with each and all of us, that we 
lose no time, but arise at once and 'press on toward the goal unto 
the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus' (Phil. 3 : 
14)." 

Concerning the time when a believer is, or may be sanctified, 
that is indefinite. It may be wrought in the soul very soon after 
regeneration, or it may not be for years. Whenever a believer 
makes a full and complete consecration of all he is, and of all 
he has, and fully trusts in the atoning merits of Jesus Christ, 
he will be "sanctified wholly/' 

From the nature of consecration we conclude that it is a work 
which no unregenerated soul can perform. "I beseech you 
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your 
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your 
reasonable service" (Rom. 12 : 1). Here the apostle is address- 
ing his brethren, evidently those who had been justified. He 
urges them to give themselves up to God in the true spirit of 
sacrifice. This they had not done. An unregenerate soul, dead 
in trespasses and sins, could not make a living sacrifice to God. 
The same apostle says, "But present yourselves unto God, as 
alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of right- 
eousness unto God" (Rom. 6: 13). Only those who have been 
made alive can make this entire consecration. Mr. Upham, in 
his "Interior Life," says that in order to attain to a state of 
holiness there must be "an act of personal consecration to God/' 
He says further: "Such a consecration, extending to all that 
we are and all that we have, is necessary. And let it not be said 
that we have no power to make it. We are not speaking now 
of persons who are in the deadness of original unconversion. 
We are speaking of Christians — of persons in a justified state, 



192 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

whose dead wills have been partially quickened by the Holy 
Ghost, and who certainly can do something in this way. Such 
# consecration, therefore, made with the whole soul and for all 
coming time, is necessary." 

We will now invite special attention to two thoughts: (1) 
The Word of God requires us to be holy; (2) the Holy Scrip- 
tures teach that holiness, perfection, or entire sanctification is 
subsequent to regeneration, and is attainable in this life. 

1. The Word of God requires us to be holy. This great doc- 
trine is taught in the use of various terms, only a few of which 
<3an be given in this connection. "Walk before me, and be thou 
perfect" (Gen. 17: 1). "Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your 
heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5 : 48). "Finally, brethren, 
farewell. Be perfected; be comforted ; be of the same mind" 
(II. Cor. 13:11). "And let patience have its perfect work, 
that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing" (Jas. 
1:4). "Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification 
without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). 
""But like as he which called you is holy, be ye yourselves also 
holy in all manner of living ; because it is written, Ye shall be 
holy; for I am holy" (I. Pet. 1 : 15, 16). Those who object to 
the views of sanctification herein advocated are asked to bring 
their Christian experience up to the standard set by the Apostle 
Paul, Eph. 3 : 17-19, "That Christ may dwell in your hearts 
through faith ; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in 
love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the 
breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of 
Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all 
the fulness of God." If such a state of grace is not attainable in 
this life, why did the apostle pray for it ? Can a soul be filled 
with "all the fulness of God" until after it has been emptied 
of all sin and uncleanness ? Let those who are in the possession 
of this love "which passeth knowledge" and who are "filled 



SANGTIFWATWN 193 

unto all the fulness of God" tell us what it implies and includes. 
Add to this the words of Paul in Col. 2 : 10, "And in him ye 
are made full/' There is a fullness, a completeness in Christ 
to which all Christians may attain. 

If it were necessary, many other passages of similar import 
<could be given. But these are sufficient to establish beyond a 
question the possibility and necessity of holiness of heart and 
life. If such a state of grace cannot be attained in this life, 
why did the sacred writers teach it ? Were they deceived or 
mistaken in the matter \ Or, did they wish to deceive others ? 
God does not require impossibilities of either men or angels. 
When, therefore, he commands us to be holy, be perfect, it is 
•evident that such a state of grace is attainable. God requires 
us to repent and believe ; and all agree that it is possible for us 
to be holy, therefore it must be possible for us to attain to it. 
To love God with all the heart, soul, and mind, and our neighbor 
as ourselves, is the fulfilling of the law, and this we are required 
to do. But no one whose heart is not perfect before God can do 
this. 

2. The Scriptures teach that holiness, perfection, or entire 
sanctification is subsequent to regeneration, and it is to be at- 
tained in this life. 

As there is quite a diversity of opinion even among good men 
■on this point, we need to study it with great care. Sanctifica- 
tion is not a growth. ^Regenerated persons may grow up to it, 
and grow on afterward, but the work itself is not a growth, 
any more than regeneration is a growth. Both are wrought 
in the soul by the power of the Holy Spirit. Entire sanc- 
tification is consequent upon a full and complete consecra- 
tion. If in any sense it means to cleanse and purify, then 
it must be instantaneous. That the grace planted in the 
soul at the time of regeneration will be strengthened and in- 
vigorated by sanctification is not questioned, but it means some- 



194 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

thing more and different from that. While other meanings are 
attached to the word, yet when applied to Christian character 
it carries with it the idea of cleansing, purifying, and to make 
holy. But the Word of God must settle this question. "For 
this is the will of God, even your sanctification" (I. Thes. 4:3). 
Paul is not addressing unconverted persons, but he is writing 
to his brethren, informing them that it was the will of God, 
even their sanctification. In the seventh verse, he says, "For 
God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification/' 
Whatever meaning we may give to the word "sanctification," 
it was evidently something to which those brethren had not at- 
tained, and which it was the will of God they might receive. 
"And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may 
your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame 
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that call- 
eth you, who will also do it" (I. Thes. 5 : 23, 24). These are 
the same brethren to whom the apostle said, "It is the will of 
God, even your sanctification." He first states that they may 
receive it — ''sanctify you wholly." Dr. Clarke says that the 
original word from which the word "wholly" is translated 
"means precisely the same as our phrase, to all intents and pur- 
poses/' The apostle prays, first, that they may be sanctified 
wholly, entirely, to all intents and purposes, to the uttermost; 
then he prays that the whole man, in this sanctified state, may 
be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord. This 
prayer teaches (1) that whatever grace they had received, they 
were not yet sanctified wholly; (2) that it was their duty and 
privilege to be sanctified wholly; (3) that entire sanctification 
is not to take place in, at, or after death, but here and now. If 
entire sanctification is not possible, then the inspired apostle 
made a mistake in praying for it; (4) this passage teaches 
plainly "that they were partly, but not entirely sanctified." 
The same doctrine in another form of language is taught by 



SANCTIFICATION 195 

the apostle when he says, "Let us cleanse ourselves from all 
defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear 
of God." How could they perfect holiness if it had not 
been commenced in them ? How could they be sanctified wholly 
or entirely, if it had not been commenced in them ? "And press 
on unto perfection" (Heb. 6:1). From the first principle of 
the doctrine of Christ we must press on. We must not continue 
in childhood forever. There is a maturity, a manhood to at- 
tain. We are to come a unto the unity of the faith, and of the 
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full-grown man, unto the 
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph. 4: 13). 
This is Christian perfection. a The measure of the stature of 
the fulness of Christ." This is precisely what the apostle means 
when he says, "Let us press on to perfection." "But whoso 
keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been per- 
fected" (I. John 2:5). "Herein is love made perfect with us, 
that we may have boldness in the day of judgement. . . . 
There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, 
. . . and he that feareth is not made perfect in love" (I. 
John 4: 17, 18). From these scriptures it is very evident that 
love in some degree may dwell in the heart, and it is also evident 
that that love may be perfected. "Perfect love casteth out 
fear." Love is always perfect in its nature, but it may not be in 
degree. It is not said of those that had tormenting fears that 
they had not love at all, but their love was not perfected. Mr. 
Upham says, "Although it is possible for a person who is par- 
tially holy to grow in holiness, a person who is entirely holy wiil 
grow much more." We may have a degree of love, and find 
much comfort in it. We may also have the fullness of love, 
and find much more comfort. We will give a few passages to 
show that some persons did attain to a state of entire sanctifica- 
tion, or Christian perfection. "And the Lord said unto Satan, 
Hast thou considered my servant Job ? for there is none like 



196 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fear- 
eth God, and escheweth evil" (Job 1:8). "Mark the perfect 
man, and behold the upright: for the latter end of that man 
is peace" (Ps. 37 : 37). "The righteousness of the perfect shall 
direct his way" (Prov. 11:5). "Howbeit we speak wisdom 
among the perfect" (I. Cor. 2:6). "Let us therefore, as many 
as be perfect, be thus minded" (Phil. 3: 15). 

There is perfect love, perfect peace, perfect joy, and perfect 
fullness in Jesus Christ. To each and all of these every be- 
liever may attain. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all 
sin, and from all unrighteousness, so that the believer may be 
one in him, and one with him. Let all remember that a pure 
heart — washed, cleansed in the blood of the Lamb — is the quali- 
fication and security for heaven. Nothing less than this will 
suffice. 

We will close this chapter with a brief extract from the writ- 
ings of Bishop Usher. "I must tell you," says that devout man, 
"we do not well understand what sanctification and the new 
creature are. It is no less than for a man to be brought to an 
entire resignation of his own will to the will of God, and to live 
in the offering up of his soul continually in the flames of love, 
as a whole burnt-offering to Christ ; and, oh ! how many who 
profess Christianity are unacquainted experimentally with this 
work upon their souls." 



CHAPTEE XXIII. 

DIVINE PROVIDENCE. 

By "Divine Providence" we understand the uniform and 
constant operation of God throughout the entire universe. God 
is everywhere, and everywhere at work. Nothing is too vast for 
his management, and nothing so small as to be below his notice. 

Dr. Pope defines providence thus, "It expresses the truth that 
God orders and governs all things for the attainment of the pur- 
pose of their creation." The word "providence" means fore- 
sight and provision. He describes it as: "Precisely as his 
creating act, with the same relation to the Holy Trinity. As 
the three Persons concurred in the beginning, so they conspire 
to bring all things to their end." Concerning the range of the 
divine operation of providence, he says it is "the conservation of 
all things for their end ; then, more specifically, the preserva- 
tion of created life ; and in the highest sense, the government 
of moral intelligences." 

Good and wise men differ in their opinion respecting the na- 
ture of God's providence, as to whether it is general or particu- 
lar. We conceive that both opinions are correct, for "the general 
providence of God, properly understood, reaches to the most 
particular and minute objects and events, and the particular 
providence of God becomes general by its embracing every par- 
ticular." Providence not only implies forethought, but it in- 
cludes the constant operation of God in every part of the uni- 
verse. There is not a law nor force in nature but would at once 
become inoperative if the divine presence were withdrawn. It 
is affirmed in the Holy Scriptures that "God created the heaven 
and the earth," and it is also affirmed that "in him all things con- 
sist," and that "in him we live and move and have our being." 

197 



198 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

God governs the universe of matter and mind in a manner 
which accords with his own eternal perfection. Those who 
would divorce him from his own creation claim that everything 
is governed by fixed laws, to which we readily assent. But these 
laws are not self-originated and self-operative. God not only 
created the heaven and the earth, but all the laws and forces in 
the universe, so that whether we affirm that he governs by fixed 
laws or independent of such laws, the fact remains that he gov- 
erns. There is not a law nor force in nature but that would 
fall flexible as the lash of a whip if his presence were with- 
drawn. Is it easier to govern the universe by creating and sus- 
taining laws to govern, or to govern direct without these ? 

Because the operations of divine Providence are in great 
measure hidden from us, we are not thence to conclude that he 
does not govern at all. The Scriptures not only affirm that God 
created all things, but that he sustains all things. No matter 
how he does it. The manner in which he governs and controls 
all things is not so much a matter for our faith as the fact itself. 
"And we know that to them that love God all things work to- 
gether for good" (Rom. 8 : 28). Paul states this as a fact. But 
instead of accepting it as a fact, we concern ourselves to find out 
how he does it; and because we cannot understand how "all 
things work together for good," we doubt as to whether or not it 
is true. 

God is the soul of the universe, and everything is ascribed to 
him. Creation, preservation, day and night, the falling rain, 
snow, hail, the lightnings, thunder, and wind — all are ascribed 
to him and controlled by him. It is a vast and profound scheme, 
and to us complicated and inexplicable in many of its parts, but 
the final result will be the glory of God. In the end, all will 
realize that while "clouds and darkness are round about him: 
righteousness and judgement are the foundation of his throne" 
(Ps. 97:2). 



DIVINE PROVIDENCE 199 

Let us turn to a few of the many passages which teach in 
plain language that "all things are subject to the ruling provi- 
dence of God." " Thine, Lord, is the greatness, and the 
power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all 
that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; . . . both 
riches and honour come of thee, and thou rulest over all ; and in 
thine hand is power and might ; and in thine hand it is to make 
great, and to give strength unto all" (I. Chr. 29 : 11, 12). a O 
Lord, thou preservest man and beast" (Ps. 36 : 6). a And he is 
before all things, and in him all things consist" (Col. 1: 17). 
"For in him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17 : 
28). The Scriptures abound with passages which teach that all 
things are subject to the control of the Almighty. Concerning 
the universality of God's ruling providence, Dr. Miley says, 
"The earth and the heaven, the forces of nature, the seasons of 
the year, the harvests of the field, the fruits of the earth, the 
powers of human government, the allotments of human life are 
all thus subject" to his control. Is this not in harmony with our 
highest conception of the eternal fitness of things ? Who but a 
being of almighty power, infinite wisdom, and universal pres- 
ence could uphold, sustain, and control the affairs of a universe 
so vast as that to which we belong ? 

Although the mode of the divine operation may in many re- 
spects be unknown to us, yet the fact of an overruling and con- 
trolling influence, both in the moral and natural worlds, forces 
itself upon our consciousness. The order and harmony main- 
tained in the universe are evidences of omniscience, omnipres- 
ence, and almighty power. While God is directing the sun, 
moon, and stars in their course, and ruling among empires on 
earth, he is, at the same time, watching over the humble good 
man, feeding the ravens in their forest home, beholding the spar- 
row as it falls, and numbering the hairs of our heads. He orders 
the steps of a good man, overrules the evil designs of wicked 



200 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

men, makes the wrath of man to praise him, and doeth all things 
according to the council of his own will. 

God's dealings with the children of men are, for the most part,, 
mysterious and inexplicable. "For my thoughts are not your 
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For 
as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher 
than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isa. 55 1 
8, 9). There are depths, but depths are for God, and not for 
man. There are mysteries, but mysteries are for God. "It is- 
happy for me/' says Bishop Hall, "that God makes me of hi& 
court and not of his council." However dark and mysterious 
the operations of divine providence may be to us, it is a con- 
solation to know "that to them that love God all things work 
together for good" (Rom. 8 : 28). How all things work together 
for good we may not know, but God has said it, and his word 
will stand forever. It requires no great effort to believe that 
"all things work," but to believe that "all things work together" 
requires greater faith, and when it comes to believe that "all 
things work together for good," our faith stumbles, and often 
falls. We cannot trust our Father, because we cannot see how 
it is done. While the storm was still raging, and all on board 
had given up for lost, Paul prayed and received assurance that 
all would be saved, and said to the crew and passengers, "Sirs, 
be of good cheer : for I believe God, that it shall be even so as 
it hath been spoken unto me" (Acts 28: 25). When God says, 
"All things work together for good to them that love God," we 
have nothing to do with the how. That is his part of the con- 
tract ; our part is to love, trust, and obey. Xo matter how dark 
and forbidding our environments may be, God can bring light 
out of darkness, peace out of confusion, and joy out of sorrow. 
When God says, "All things work together for good to them that 
love God," so it will be. The heavens and earth may pass away, 
and the elements melt with fervent heat, but God, in his wonder- 



DIVINE PROVIDENCE 201 

working providence will bring everything to pass which he has 
promised. 

"By him all things consist.'' "Every object in nature is im- 
pressed with his footprints ; and each new day repeats the won- 
ders of creation. Yes ; there is not a morning we open our eyes, 
but they meet a scene as wonderful as that which fixed the gaze 
of Adam when he awoke into existence. Xor is there an object, 
be it pebble or pearl, weed or rose, the flower-spangled sward 
beneath, or the star-spangled sky above, a worm or an angel, sl 
drop of water or a boundless ocean, in which intelligence may 
not discern and piety may not adore the providence of Him who 
assumed our nature, that he might save our souls/'' 

How cold and cheerless that philosophy which banishes the 
Creator from his own creation, and leaves the control and des- 
tiny of all things to the caprice of chance. This Epicurean 
atheism is not confined to those alone who are known as skeptics, 
but may be found among those who profess to believe in a provi- 
dence. The grounds of this practical skepticism lie in a failure 
to recognize a providence in little things ; also, in a failure to 
accept the truth that while God does not order all things, he di- 
rects, overrules, and controls all things. The heart grows sad 
at the thought of being left to ourselves — no one to care for us ; 
no one to direct our steps ; no one to see in advance of us ; no- 
one to control the circumstances around us ; poor, forsaken, fa- 
therless children, wandering around for a while on earth, and 
then passing into the great unknown — forgotten, perished. 

A God without a providence is a contradiction. They mu- 
tually imply each other. A God, eternal, immutable, omnis- 
cient, omnipresent, omnipotent, just, holy, good, and merciful. 
Here is solid rock. "That this God created the heavens and the 
earth, and all that in them is, visible as well as invisible, and 
furthermore sustains, governs, protects, and supports the same."" 

As already stated, there are deep and inexplicable mysteries 



202 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

in the doctrine of a universal providence. "We see through a 
glass darkly." "We see in part," but it is only in part. "O 
the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge 
of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways 
past tracing out" (Kom. 11:33). "Lo, these are but the 
outskirts of his ways : and how small a whisper do we hear of 
him ! But the thunder of his power who can understand J" (Job 
26:14). 

In this time-haze it is not for man to know and understand 
all the ways of the Almighty. Oftentimes what seem to be 
hindrances are helps, and what appear to be against us are for 
us. "All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous, 
but grievous: yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto 
them that have exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteous- 
ness" (Heb. 12:11). When Jacob was asked to send Ben' 
jamin with his brethren to Egypt, he stoutly refused. He said, 
"Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin 
away: all these things are against me" (Gen. 42: 36). So it 
appeared to him. But were they against him ? Yerily not, for 
the sequel shows that they were all for him. So we often in- 
terpret our afflictions, losses, disappointments, and sorrows to 
be against us, when they are really for us. While God does not 
always order this and that to come upon us, he permits, and 
then overrules to the glory of his name. 

While we are not able to harmonize God's sovereignty with 
men's individual responsibility, we know from the teachings of 
the Holy Scriptures that God "worketh all things after the coun- 
sel of his will" (Eph. 1: 11), and that man is a free moral 
agent, and here we must let that question rest. 

A firm belief in the doctrine of a universal providence, not- 
withstanding the mysteries which may be involved in it, brings 
to the human consciousness a great flow of solid comfort. When 
John was on the island of Patmos, he said, "And I heard as it 



DIVINE PROVIDENCE 203 

were the roice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many 
waters, and as the voice of mighty thunders, saying, Hallelujah : 
for the Lord our God, the Almighty reigneth" (Kev. 19: 6). 
This mighty God reigns in heaven and in the earth. He super- 
intends the affairs in all worlds, and does not overlook the small- 
est things. What a beautiful and instructive lesson our Lord 
taught his disciples. "Behold the birds of the heaven, that they 
sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns ; and your 
heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more 
value than they ? . . . Consider the lilies of the field, how 
they grow. . . . But if God doth so clothe the grass, . . . 
shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith f 9 (Matt. 
6: 26-30). Add to this the lesson of the sparrow, "Not one of 
them shall fall on the ground without your Father : but the very 
hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore ; ye 
are of more value than many sparrows" (Matt. 10: 29-31). 

"Christ revealed God to us as a Father. In his first and last 
words, Christ calls him 'Father.' As a Father, God thinks of 
us, loves us, works for us in the future. 'Father' is the most en- 
dearing appellation in which he is made known unto us." 
Strange and inexplicable as some of his providences may appear 
to us, we are to remember that our Father in heaven seeth all 
things and knoweth all things, and will neither leave us to our- 
selves nor turn us away as unworthy of his care and protection. 

Dr. Fuller says that he was shown the wrong side of a piece 
of tapestry, and he could see nothing but confusion — a company 
of thrums and threads, with pieces and patches of several sorts, 
sizes, and colors. But when he looked on the right side, he saw 
letters, flowers, and beautiful characters, all in the most perfect 
order. So now, in this time-haze, as we look upon God's provi- 
dential tapestry, we may see what seems to us little else than 
confusion ; but when we see the God, or heaven side, everything 
will appear, not only beautiful, but in the most perfect order and 



204 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

harmony. Ezekiel's vision, recorded in the first chapter of his 
prophecies, concerning that strange vehicle, with its many com- 
plications, and especially the appearance of a wheel within a 
wheel is a far-reaching and instructive lesson on the operations 
of divine providence, as manifested in the history of nations and 
the experience of individuals. Notwithstanding the complica- 
tion in the appearance of the vehicle, and the possible retro- 
grade motion suggested by the wheel within a wheel, the prophet 
is particular to state that when the vehicle moved it went 
straight forward, and came straight back. So in the moral 
government of the universe, whether we understand it or not,, 
in the end it will be seen and proclaimed that everything moved 
straight forward and came straight back. What the Almighty 
Father does is, and must be, eternally right. As a fit closing- 
of this chapter, I quote from Isaiah 50 : 10, "Who is among 
you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant ? 
he that walketh in darkness, and hath no light, let him trust in. 
the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God." 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

LOVE TO GOD. 

Tete whole duty of man, or the entire system of Christian 
ethics, as taught by the Saviour is embraced under two heads, 
namely, Love to God and love to man. "Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with 
#11 thy mind. This is the great and first commandment. A ad 
a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy- 
self. On these two commandments hangeth the whole law, aud 
the prophets'' (Matt. 22 : 37-40). All the law and the prophets 
hang on these two commandments. "They are like the first and 
last links of a chain, all the intermediate links depend on them. 
True religion begins and ends in love." Why it should be so 
we may not know. God, who created man, knows what is best 
for him in this world, and in the world to come. Hence, in his 
infinite wisdom and goodness, he has made religion to consist 
principally in the affections. Inasmuch, therefore, as love is the 
great central idea in our most holy Christianity, it will be very 
important for us to understand what it implies and includes. 

This subject might have been considered in connection with 
the witness of the Spirit and assurance, but we think it is of 
sufficient importance to be treated separately. There is a ten- 
dency to transfer almost everything to the intellect. The re- 
ligion of Jesus Christ is for the whole man, so that the physical 
and intellectual powers are more or less affected by it, but there 
are some parts of it which belong to the moral or spiritual nature 
of man. Regeneration is not a physical or intellectual change, 
but moral or spiritual. Love to God is not simply an exercise 
of the intellectual powers, but it flows from the heart-, and then 
only when it is planted there by the Holy Spirit. Take from 

205 



206 CBEISTIAN THEOLOGY 

the religion of Christ love, joy, peace, and comfort, and what 
have you left ? Nothing but stern duties, which must be dis- 
charged by the simple force of the will. 

In all the ages man has been more or less inclined to set him- 
self up against God's plans. Any way is better than his way. 
God has so ordained that the religion provided for man in the 
great plan of human redemption shall dwell mainly in the sensi- 
bilities or affections. But man says that is not the better way ; 
it should dwell mainly in the intellect and leave the emotions 
undisturbed. Love, which means "an affection of the heart ex- 
cited by that which delights or commands admiration, kindness, 
and devotion," is not to find any place in it. 

I. But what is implied and included in love to God as repre- 
sented to us in the Holy Scriptures ? 

1. It implies a knowledge of him. While it is possible for 
us to love the unseen, it is not possible for us to love the un- 
known. We must know something of the purity, wisdom, good- 
ness, and mercy of God in order to love him. "God is love/' 
This gracious truth is communicated to us through his word. 
In the realm of nature we see evidences of his wisdom and 
power, while in his revealed word we are made acquainted with 
his love, goodness, and mercy. God in nature, God in redemp- 
tion, and God in providence are subjects upon which the mind 
can dwell until it is awed into reverence and filled with grati- 
tude. It is the imperative duty of all intelligent beings to know 
as much about God as it is possible to know. It is philosophic- 
ally and experimentally true that the more we know of the per- 
fections and glories of the Creator and Redeemer of fallen man, 
the more we will see in him to love. 

2. Love to God is a sentiment. By sentiment we mean more 
than a cold abstract opinion. We mean a sentiment which is 
accompanied with emotion, gratitude, and admiration. "It is 
the affections of the soul flowing toward God in emotions of ap- 



LOVE TO 00 D 207 

proval, admiration, and delight." So that the language of the 
loving heart is, "Whom have I in heaven but thee \ and there is 
none upon earth that I desire above thee/' 

3. Love to God is a fruit of the Spirit. While in an unre- 
generate state no man does, or can love God. "Because the mind 
of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the 
law of God, neither indeed can it be" (Rom. 8:7). 

The carnal mind must be destroyed. When this is done, then 
the "love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts through 
the Holy Ghost which was given unto us" (Rom. 5: 5). Paul 
says, the "fruit of the Spirit is love' — love to God and love to 
man. Whatever is done in us of a spiritual nature is done by 
the Holy Spirit. He executes the will and pleasure of the 
Trinity. 

4. To love God with all the heart "is to love nothing in com- 
parison to him, and nothing but in reference to him, ready to 
give up, do, or suffer anything in order to please and glorify 
him." To this state of perfect love it is the duty and privilege 
of all Christians to attain. 

5. Love to God will prompt the soul to obedience. This is 
clearly implied in the very idea of loving him with all the heart, 
mind, and strength. Here every Christian should pause and 
reflect. Love and obedience go hand in hand. Where obedience 
is wanting, love is absent. The Scriptures make this very plain. 
"Great peace have they which love thy law" (Ps. 119: 165). 
"Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you" 
(John 15: 14). "If a man love me, he will keep my word" 
(John 14: 23). "If ye love me, ye will keep my command- 
ments" (John 14: 15). "For this is the love of God, that we 
keep his commandments" (I. John 5:3). "But whoso keepeth 
his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected" 
(I. John 2:5). If at any time we should find in our hearts 
an unwillingness to obey one of God's commandments, we have 



•208 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

good reason to suspect that our love to God is not what it should 
be. "He who sees God in all things, thinks of him at all times, 
having his mind continually fixed upon God, acknowledging him 
in all his ways ; who begins, continues, and ends all his thoughts, 
words, and works to the glory of his name — this is the person 
who loves God with all his heart, life, strength, and intellect" 
Herein is that ''perfect love" that casteth out fear. 

6. Another element in this perfect love is constancy. While 
^supreme love to God includes all the emotions of the soul, such 
as gratitude, joy, peace, and delight, it also includes a principle, 
— a real divinity, — which controls every power of the human 
.soul. This love born in us by the Holy Ghost is a power, which 
nothing in heaven, in the earth, nor under the earth is able to 
subdue. The constancy of this love is clearly set forth by Paul 
in Rom. 8:38, 39, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor 
life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things 
to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other crea- 
ture, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is 
in Christ Jesus our Lord." By disobedience we may lose this 
love out of our hearts, but if we are faithful and true to God, 
there is no power able to take it out of our hearts. Our Lord 
;said, "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love" 

(John 15: 10). 

7. Love to God is always accompanied by the fear of God. 
The one cannot abide in the soul without the other. By this 
fear of God is not meant a servile, tormenting fear, but a rev- 
erential awe, a filial emotion of the soul toward God. A soul 
filled with the love of God continually desires his favor, dreads 
his displeasure, delights in his law, submits to his will, and de- 
voutly worships him. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning 
of wisdom" (Ps. Ill : 10). "The fear of the Lord is to hate 
evil" (Prov. 8: 13). "Pear God, and keep his commandments; 
for this is the whole duty of man" (Eccl. 12 : 13). 



LOVE TO GOD 209 

"Then they that feared the Lord spake one with another : and 
the Lord hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was 
written before him, for them that feared the Lord, and that 
thought upon his name" (Mai. 3: 16). The fear of the Lord, 
as set forth in these passages, is a holy disposition formed 
in the soul by the Holy Spirit, which inclines us to walk in the 
ways of his commandments. Love, fear, and obedience are so 
closely allied to each other in the Christian soul that we cannot 
separate them. When these graces nourish in the soul, the wor- 
ship of God will be delightful. Without them, we cannot ren- 
der acceptable service to God. But love is the principal thing. 
Paul puts it above faith and hope. In Paul's first epistle to the 
Corinthians, he devotes one chapter (13) to love. Any one who 
will take the time to study this chapter cannot fail to see the 
importance the apostle attaches to this grace. "If I speak with 
the tongues of men and angels, . . . and if I have the gift 
of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and 
if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, . . . and if I 
bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body 
to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love 
suffereth long, and is kind; . . . vaunteth not itself, is 
not puffed up, . . . seeketh not its own, is not provoked, 
taketh not account of evil; . . . beareth all things, be- 
lieveth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 
Love never faileth." He closes the chapter with these words, 
"But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three ; and the great- 
est of these is love." If Paul did not overestimate love, which 
he certainly did not, then love stands in the forefront of Chris- 
tian experience. It stands above gifts, tongues, prophecy, be- 
nevolence, faith, and hope. Love to Christ and for Christ is 
the very soul of religion. Without it all else we may do is 
sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. He does not ask that our 
love shall equal his, but resemble his. He does not ask that it 

14 



210 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

shall be of the same strength as his, but of the same kind. "He 
that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love" (I. John 
4:8). 

Supreme love to God, with relative love to our fellows, is the 
strongest force in Christian character. "And we know and have 
believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he 
that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him. 
Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness 
in the day of judgement ; because as he is, even so are we in 
this world. There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth 
out fear, because fear hath punishment ; and he that f eareth is 
not made perfect in love" (I. John 4: 16-19). 

II. Love to our neighbor, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as 
thyself." This is the second great commandment, and is like 
unto the first. We connect it with love to God, because it springs 
from it as its source, and because our Saviour so presented it. 
Love to our neighbor includes not only those that live by our 
side, but the whole family of man — friends and enemies. This 
is beautifully brought out in the account our Lord gives of the 
good Samaritan. (Luke 10: 29.) As we have means and op- 
portunity we must do good unto all men. We are one family ; 
and hence should cherish a humane, tender, and benevolent re- 
gard for the whole race. In this, as in many other particulars, 
our holy Christianity rises above all other religions. 

This love of our neighbor distinguishes itself in four particu- 
lars, namely, equity, benevolence, succor, and charity. "Love 
thy neighbour as thyself." "All things therefore whatsoever ye 
would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto 
them: for this is the law and the prophets" (Matt. 7:12). 
"And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to 
them likewise" (Luke 6: 31). This is Christian neighborship. 
This is the true spirit of Christ's religion. It teaches us that 
we must think and speak of others as we would have them think 






LOVE TO GOD 211 

and speak of us. "We must do everything in our power, through 
all the possible varieties of circumstances, for our neighbors, 
which we would wish them to do unto us, were our situations 
reversed," — this, and nothing less than this, loving our neighbor 
as we love ourselves. The duty of loving our neighbor does not 
imply that we must love their faults, but love them notwith- 
standing their faults. We are to love them as we love ourselves. 
We love ourselves not because we have faults, but notwithstand- 
ing our faults. 

So we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The 
church would accomplish vastly more good if each member 
would cary out practically this injunction of the Saviour, "Love 
thy neighbor as thyself/'' Those who love God with all the heart 
will love their neighbor as they love themselves. They cannot 
be separated. 

There is no influence going out from the Christian church 
that has so much power over the hearts and minds of the people 
as that which grows out of love. The world is surfeited with 
hatred and cruelty — hearts grow sick and faint under their 
withering influence. Love, which means affection, good will, 
benevolence, and kindness, flowing out from the church over 
such a discordant state in society, will not only help to lift the 
dark cloud from over the people, but win many from under its 
immediate influence. Life affords but few opportunities to do 
what men would call great things, but scarce a day passes but 
that affords an opportunity to perform some act of kindness. 
Love is always on the watch-tower looking for an opportunity 
to do some one good. 



.CHAPTER XXV. 

PRAYER. 

Peayee is a solemn, important, and delightful part of divine 
worship. It is external and internal. Prayer has been well 
defined as the "offering up of our desires unto God for things 
agreeable to his will, in the name or through the mediation of 
Jesus Christ, by the help of the Holy Spirit, with a confession 
of our sins, and a thankful acknowledgment of his mercies." 
Now, while it is true that adoration, thankfulness, and confes- 
sion are usually joined with extended prayer, and it is not by 
any means improper that they should be, yet in a strict sense 
they are distinct acts of worship. Strictly speaking, praying 
"is asking God for such things as we need, and as he has prom- 
ised to give." Acceptable prayer must be offered to God in the 
name of Jesus Christ. All forms of prayer that do not recog- 
nize the name of Christ are not only not acceptable to God, but 
exceedingly offensive to him. 

"There is no other name under heaven given among men, 
whereby we must be saved." "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my 
name, that will I do" (John 14: 13). 

I. Prayer is a most reasonable service. It is an acknowl- 
edgment of our dependence upon God and his all-sufficiency to 
supply our needs. "For he that cometh to God must believe 
that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him" 
(Heb. 11: 6). Prayer, in its very nature, is an expression of 
want and an earnest desire for help. God only is independent ; 
man is dependent in the broadest sense. Prayer, therefore, is 
the weak looking to the strong for strength ; it is the ignorant 
looking to the wise for wisdom. Sincere prayer will promote 

212 



PRAYER 213 

in the soul this sense of dependence ; it is therefore a most rea- 
sonable service. 

1. The simple exercise of the mind in prayer will tend to 
preserve in the mind a knowledge of God. To pray is to bring 
God directly before the mind, in all the infinity of his attri- 
butes, so far as the human mind can grasp an idea of the infinite 
God. It is therefore a most solemn service — frail, erring, finite 
man addressing the infinite God. 

2. Prayer is objected to by some because they insist that 
God will always do what is best from the moral perfections 
of his nature, whether we pray or not. To this objection it 
may be replied, "It may be agreeable to perfect wisdom to grant 
that to our prayers which it would not have been agreeable to 
the same wisdom to have given us without praying for it." 

3. Prayer is a condition. By this we are not to conclude 
that prayer, however earnest and sincere, possesses any inherent 
virtue or efficacy. God has made it a condition, upon the proper 
performance of which he will grant certain favors. There is 
no merit in anything we do, or can do, but God has promised 
certain blessings to his creatures on certain conditions. God, 
who is infinite in wisdom and goodness, knows what is best for 
mankind, and therefore commands us to ask, with the promise 
that we shall receive. Who is able to dictate to the Almighty 
what is best for his creatures ? 

II. We will now consider more particularly the duty of 
acceptable prayer. The Scriptures abundantly teach this, both 
by precept and example. We will cite a few passages from the 
Old Testament. "Then began men to call upon the name of 
the Lord" (Gen. 4:26). "And Abraham planted a tamarisk 
tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, 
the Everlasting God" (Gen. 21 : 33). "And Samuel cried unto 
the Lord for Israel; and the Lord answered him" (I. Sam. 
7:9). "And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said 



214 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

unto him, I have heard thy prayer" (II. Chr. 7: 12). "Even- 
ing, and morning, and at noonday, will I complain, and moan: 
and he shall hear my voice" (Ps. 55: 17). Daniel "went into 
his house ; (now his windows were open in his chamber toward 
Jerusalem ; ) and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, 
and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did afore- 
time" (Dan. 6:10). 

Turn to the JSTew Testament, where the duty of prayer is as 
clearly laid down as it is in the Old Testament. "But watch 
ye at every season, making supplication" (Luke 21 : 36). "Ask, 
and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and 
it shall be opened unto you" (Matt. 7:7). "And he spake a 
parable unto them to the end that they ought always to pray, 
and not faint" (Luke 18:1). "In nothing be anxious; but 
in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let 
your requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6). "Pray 
without ceasing" (I. Thes. 5 : 17). "I desire therefore that the 
men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, without wrath 
and disputing" (I. Tim. 2:8). 

III. The nature of acceptable prayer. 

1. Prayer is a spiritual exercise, and can only be offered to 
God acceptably when accompanied by the Holy Spirit. "God 
is a Spirit," and is pleased only with spiritual worship. "And 
I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants 
of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication" (Zech. 
12: 10). "And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our in- 
firmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the 
Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which 
cannot be uttered" (Rom. 8: 26). "With all prayer and sup- 
plication praying at all seasons in the Spirit" (Eph. 6:18). 
"I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the under- 
standing also" (I. Cor. 14:15). These passages teach very 
plainly that acceptable prayer to God must be offered with the 



PRAYER 215 

spirit. How very reasonable this is! (1) God is a Spirit, and 
how can we approach him without the spirit? (2) "For we 
know not how to pray as we ought : but the Spirit himself mak- 
eth intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" 
(Rom. 8:26). 

2. Prayer, to be acceptable to God, must be offered in deep 
humility. In the heart of that Pharisee that stood and prayed 
and thanked God that he was not as other men there was no 
humility, and his prayer was not answered, while the prayer 
of the publican, simple and in a few words, was heard, because 
it was offered in the spirit of deep humility. Nothing is more 
becoming on the part of poor, fallen humanity than humility. 
What has mortal man to be proud of ? He is fallen, corrupt, 
dependent, and may die any moment. "Every one that is proud 
in heart is an abomination to the Lord" (Prov. 16: 5). "Yea, 
all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another ; 
for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble" 
(I. Pet. 5 : 5, 6). "For every one that exalteth himself shall be 
humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" 
(Luke 14: 11). God will abase the proud, and give grace and 
glory to the humble. Humility is on the highway to immor- 
tality and eternal life. 

3. Prayer, to be acceptable to God, must be offered in faith. 
"For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that 
he is a rewarder of them that seek after him" (Heb. 11: 6). 
"But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who 
giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not ; and it shall be given 
him. But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting" ( Jas. 1 : 5, 6). 
"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, 
ye shall receive" (Matt. 21: 22). "All things whatsoever ye 
pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye 
shall have them" "(Mark 11 : 24) ? . "And whatsoever is not of 
faith is sin" (Rom. 14 : 23)\ To come before God in prayer is, 



216 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

then, a solemn duty ; we must believe that he is, and must be- 
lieve in all the fundamental doctrines of the Bible, so far as we 
are instructed in them. 

4. Prayer must be offered for things agreeable to the will 
of God. God's will must be supreme. We are ignorant and 
short-sighted. We do not always know what we need ; we know 
what we want, but that may be altogether different from what 
we need. God alone knows what we need every day and every 
hour. Our duty is to ask for what we need, or think we need, 
and then, meekly and trustingly, submit all our requests to the 
will of God. "And this is the boldness which we have toward 
him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth 
us : and if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask, we 
know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him" 
(I. John 5: 14-16). Prayer, to be acceptable to God, must be 
free from all dictation. We should ask for such things as we 
think we need, and then submit ourselves, with our requests, 
all to the will of God, for him to answer at such time and in 
such manner as he may see will be best for us. One glory of a 
Christian's life is complete submission to the will of God. 
David said, "I waited patiently for the Lord ; and he inclined 
unto me, and heard my cry" (Ps. 40: 1). Our Saviour, in the 
Garden of Gethsemane, has taught us a wonderful lesson on sub- 
mission to God in prayer. He prayed as never man prayed. 
His soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. Luke, in 
recording this scene, says that Christ "was in an agony and 
prayed more earnestly : and his sweat as it were great drops of 
blood falling down upon the ground." In the throes of this tre- 
mendous agony, he said, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this 
cup from me: nevertheless not my will, hut thine "be done" 
(Luke 22: 42). What a lesson in this for all Christians. 

IV. Encouragement to pray. The promises of God are full 
and complete. All we need for time and eternity is promised 



PRAYER 217 

to us in answer to prayer. God is fully willing and abundantly 
able to fulfill every promise. He is not slack concerning his 
promises. We may note a few of the many promises. "Ask 
whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15 : 7). 
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your 
children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the 
Holy Spirit to them that ask him ?" (Luke 11 : 13.) "Ask, and 
it shall be given you" (Matt. 7:7). "And all things, whatso- 
ever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive" (Matt. 
21: 22). "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will 
I do" (John 14: 13). "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my 
name : ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be fulfilled" 
(John 16:24). Are not these promises enough to encourage 
us to pray ? All heaven is pledged as security for the fulfill- 
ment of the promises. 

V. Different hinds of prayer. 

1. Family prayer. While it may be urged that there is no 
express command for family prayer, it may also be urged that it 
is implied in many portions of God's Word. "With all prayer 
and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit" (Eph. 
6: 18). "I desire therefore that the men pray in every place, 
lifting up holy hands, without wrath and disputing" (I. Tim. 
2:8). It would seem that praying "with all prayer" and pray- 
ing "everywhere" would include family prayer as certainly as 
any other kind of prayer. For the same reason that you would 
strike out family prayer you must strike out any other kind of 
prayer. 

Family religion implies and includes family prayer. "And, 
ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but nurture 
them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord" (Eph. 
6:4). This is a command which always "includes the use of 
the best means to accomplish the end." What can parents do 
that will better contribute to the bringing-up of their children 



218 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

in the fear of God than family prayer ? The very words of this 
command imply family religion, and family religion implies 
family prayer. How can parents bring up their children in 
the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and yet not pray with 
and for them % No family altar! 

"But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Josh. 
24: 15). To serve God is to worship him, and to worship God 
implies prayer. This was a family affair. It would be difficult 
to understand just how Joshua would carry out this determina- 
tion and yet never pray with his family. Concerning Abraham, 
the Lord said, "For I have known him, to the end that he may 
command his children, and his household after him, that they 
may keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgement" 
(Gen. 18 : 19). Moses said to the people of Israel, "And these 
words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thine 
heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, 
and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and 
when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and 
when thou risest up" (Deut. 6 : 6, 7). These precepts could not 
be properly observed without prayer, and as they related par- 
ticularly to the family, it would most naturally imply family 
religion. 

2. Secret prayer. This is not only implied, but is enjoined. 
"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, 
and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, 
and thy Father which seeth in secret shall recompense thee" 
(Matt. 6:6). "How sublime the spectacle of a poor dependent 
worm of earth, shut out from the view of every eye but that of 
God, kneeling humbly and pleading for mercy before the great 
I AM. Upon such a scene angels must gaze with delight, and 
God himself looks down from heaven well pleased. There is no 
service in which Christians can engage where they will gain 
strength so rapidly as in secret communion with God. There is 



PRAYER 219 

no place on earth where a man will be more sincerely honest 
with himself than when he kneels before God in secret prayer. 
Men and women of great spiritual power in the church of Christ 
are, and have been such as have spent most time in secret devo- 
tion. No Christian can afford to neglect secret prayer. Jesus 
often went into secret and prayed. In Mark 1:35, it is said 
of Christ that "in the morning, a great while before day, he rose 
up and went out, and departed into a desert place, and there 
prayed." Christ often went away by himself and prayed. 
What a pattern for us ! 

3. Public prayer. This duty is taught in the Holy Scrip- 
tures both by precept and example. While all Christians are not 
alike gifted in prayer, and there may be some whose duty it is not 
to pray in public at all, yet the Scriptures recognize it as a part 
of public worship. Those who, for one reason and another, ex- 
cuse themselves from this means of grace should be very certain 
that the excuse will satisfy the Lord. Public prayer was an 
important part of the service performed in the synagogue, espe- 
cially from the time of Ezra. "It is agreed by all writers on 
the worship of the early Christians that their meetings were 
commenced by offering prayers to God." Paul doubtless had 
reference to public prayer when he said, "I exhort therefore, 
first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgiv- 
ings be made for all men" (I. Tim. 2:1). Dr. McKnight ren- 
ders this as follows, "Now I exhort, first of all, that in the pub- 
lic assemblies, deprecations of evils, and supplications for such 
good things as are necessary, and intercessions for their con- 
version, and thanksgiving for mercies, be offered in behalf of 
all men." Public prayer is taught in the eighth verse, and also 
in I. Cor. 11 : 4, 5. Prom the time of the apostles until now 
it has been the custom in almost all the Christian churches to 
offer public prayer as a part of the service. 

4. Ejaculatory prayer. "Pray without ceasing," "Pray 



220 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

everywhere/' are Bible injunctions. By ejaculatory prayer is 
meant a constant devotional frame of mind. Every devout soul 
feels a constant dependence upon God for life and all blessings, 
temporal and spiritual; hence the reasonableness of this kind 
of prayer. At home or abroad, here or there, the soul may be 
whispering its requests into the ear of the Father of lights. 
Paul says, "Be stedfastly in prayer." Again, he says, "With all 
prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit" 
(Eph. 6: 18). Again, "Continue stedfastly in prayer" (Col. 
4:2). The Word of God abounds with exhortations to pray 
always — pray with all prayers. It were better — a thousand- 
fold better — for the general church if its members were more 
given to earnest, persevering prayer. ISTo form of service will 
keep the heart in closer communion with God. How beautiful 
that form of prayer which our Lord taught his disciples, "Our 
Father which art in heaven." The fact that we may address the 
Creator of the universe by the endearing name of "Father" is 
uplifting to any sincere soul. 

That God answers prayer is a well authenticated fact. It 
may not always be just at the time we ask for it, nor in the man- 
ner we desired, but fervent prayer offered in faith cannot fall 
to the ground unnoticed. God, in his own way, and in his own 
good time, will answer that prayer ; he will answer it in a man- 
ner and at such time as he, in his own infinite wisdom, sees will 
be best for us. One of the most beautiful graces in the Chris- 
tian character is submission to the will of God. We offer our 
prayers, asking for what we need, or think we need, and then 
submit it all to the will of God, to be answered as his own wis- 
dom may dictate. We cannot be too careful in discriminating 
between merit and condition. Because God has made prayer a 
condition upon which he will bestow certain blessings, we are 
not thence to conclude that we merit those blessings by the act 
of prayer. We do not, and cannot merit anything. Everything 



PRAYER 221 

•comes to us as a free gift. All answers to prayer are but gra- 
cious gifts from God. 

It is marvelous what great deeds have been accomplished by 
prayer. Dr. Ryland says : "Prayer has divided seas, rolled up 
flowing rivers, made flinty rocks gush into fountains, quenched 
flames of fire, muzzled lions, disarmed vipers and poisons, mar- 
shalled the stars against the wicked, stopped the course of the 
moon, arrested the sun in his rapid race, burst open iron gates, 
recalled souls from eternity, conquered the strongest devils, 
commanded legions of angels down from heaven. Prayer has 
bridled and chained the raging passions of man, and routed and 
destroyed vast armies of proud, daring, blustering atheists. 
Prayer has brought one man from the bottom of the sea, and car- 
ried another in a chariot of fire to heaven. What has prayer 
not done ?" 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

READING AND STUDYING THE SCRIPTURES. 

The word "Scripture" comes from the Latin word scriptura, 
and signifies "anything written." The word, however, is com- 
monly applied to the Old and New Testaments, sometimes called 
the sacred Scriptures and sometimes the canonical Scriptures. 
As the hooks of the Old and New Testaments are considered the 
most important of all writings, the term "Scripture" by way 
of eminence is properly applied to them. No writings of an- 
cient or modern times will compare with the sacred Scriptures. 
"They open to us the mystery of creation ; the nature of God,, 
angels, and man; the immortality of the soul; the end for 
which we were made ; the origin and connection of moral and 
natural evil; the vanity of this world, and the glory of the 
next." In these sacred writings we have an account of all our 
spiritual maladies, and also a certain and infallible remedy. 

Rev. Thomas Watson, in speaking of the richness and beauty 
of the sacred Scriptures, says, "They are a rock of diamonds and 
a chain of pearls." Sir William Jones says, "I am of opinion 
that the Bible contains more true sensibility, more exquisite 
beauty, more pure morality, more important history, and finer 
strains of poetry and eloquence than can be collected from all 
other books, in whatever age or language they may be written." 
Sir Isaac Newton said, "We account the Scriptures of God to 
be the most sublime philosophy." 

To be profited by the Scriptures, they must not only be read, 
but studied with the greatest possible care. Dr. John Todd says, 
"I have found the Scriptures to be like a mine, in which you 
must dig and labor, the wealth of which is not to be obtained 

222 



BEADING AND STUDYING THE SCRIPTURES 223 

without labor — a mine rich in gold and precious things, but it 
must be wrought day and night in order to produce them/*' 

No new truths are breathed into the Scriptures, but new 
truths and phases of truth are being discovered, and as these 
truths come to the surface, it is found that the sacred Word is 
more and more in harmony with itself. When God created the 
heaven and the earth, he endowed them with all the laws and 
forces which they now possess, but ages passed before many of 
them were discovered, and, even now, we seem to be only in the 
early dawn of our knowledge of the forces in nature. So when 
the Bible was written it contained all the truths it now contains, 
but they were not all discovered at once. 

Some professedly learned men have supposed that the doc- 
trines contained in the Bible are in conflict with reason and 
philosophy. But as reason ascends in her sphere, and philos- 
ophy broadens in her grasp, and the truths in the Bible are be- 
ing better understood, this apparent conflict gradually disap- 
pears. Human reason is not infinite, but fallible. Because 
some things in nature and in revelation are above the highest 
reach of reason is no evidence that they are contrary to reason. 
What at first seemed to be contrary to reason, when better un- 
derstood, was found to be in harmony with all the laws of right 
reason. 

What the world needs to-day is a better knowledge of the 
sacred Scriptures. There is something in the Bible to meet the 
wants of every one that will turn to it for direction, instruction, 
and comfort. Mr. W. H. Punshon said: "How marvelous is 
the adaptation of Scripture for the race for whom it was re- 
vealed. In its pages every conceivable condition of human ex- 
perience is reflected as in a mirror. In its words every strug- 
gle of the heart can find appropriate and forceful expression. 
It is absolutely inexhaustible in its resources for the conveyance 
of the deepest feelings of the soul." 



224 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

Private reading of the Scriptures. It is the imperative duty 
of all who can read at all to read and study the sacred Scrip- 
tures. Especially is it the duty of Christians and those inquir- 
ing the way of life to read God's Word. Again and again is this 
duty enjoined upon all that would know the will of God. After 
giving some general rules for reading the Scriptures, Dr. Camp- 
bell remarks, "Above all, let the reader invite prayer with his 
endeavors, that his understanding may be illuminated, and his 
heart impressed with the great truths which the sacred Scrip- 
tures contain." 

If Christians more generally realized the importance of being 
fortified with the word of God, they would give more attention 
to its reading and study. When the tempter came to Jesus with 
his propositions, our Lord did not stop to reason with him, but 
in answer to each proposition appealed to the word of God. 
Three times in succession he said, "It is written" (Matt. 4: 4- 
10). If one so pure as the Son of man felt it necessary to ap- 
peal to the sacred Scriptures for defense, much more do we need 
such support. In times of temptations, sorrow, bereavements, 
and disappointments, if we did but know, there is some word of 
promise to meet the case, so that we could say with the utmost 
confidence, "It is written.' 9 There is not an inch of the way 
over which Christians need to pass but that is covered over and 
over with promises. 

Considering the advantages and opportunities of the people in 
this age to read and study the sacred Scriptures, they are most 
shamefully neglected. There are, doubtless, very many professed 
Christians who seldom open the blessed Bbok to read. No won- 
der there are so many weak and feeble in the visible church. 
Jesus said, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, 
-ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." Paul 
says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wis- 
dom." All this implies most clearly that we must read and 



READING AND STUDYING TEE SCRIPTURES 225 

study the sacred Word. Paul, in describing the Christian's 
armor, mentions the "sword of the Spirit'' as an important part. 
This he explains to be "the sword of God" — or the Holy Scrip- 
tures. "An ability to quote this on proper occasions, and espe- 
cially in times of temptation and trial, has a wonderful tend- 
ency to cut in pieces the snares of the adversary." In all ages, 
those most eminent for piety and usefulness were the most de- 
voted in the study of God's Word. Read the One Hundred and 
Nineteenth Psalm and learn therefrom what an Old Testament 
saint thought of the Word of the Lord. 

Reading the Scriptures in the family. This was made a duty 
nnder the law of Moses. "And these words, which I command 
thee this day, shall be upon thine heart ; and thou shalt teach 
them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when 
thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, 
and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up" (Deut. 6 : 
6, 7). Paul, in his second letter to Timothy, mentions the fact 
that "from a babe thou [Timothy] hast known the sacred writ- 
ings" (II. Tim. 3:15). Timothy had been taught the law 
of the Lord when a child. He was brought up by his grand- 
mother Lois, and his mother Eunice. (II. Tim. 1:5.) These 
were women of "unfeigned faith." We have from both the Old 
and the New Testament abundant authority for reading the 
Holy Scriptures in the family. 

Public reading of the Scriptures. As a part of the public 
worship of Almighty God nothing is more necessary than the 
reading of the Holy Scriptures. If need be, let every other part 
of the service be abridged so as to give ample time for the read- 
ing of the Scripture lesson. The necessity for such practice 
will appear if we consider that there are some in almost every 
congregation who cannot read. Then, there are many who never 
hear the Bible read at home, and but for the practice of reading 
in the public congregation, thev would never hear it read at 
all. .„ 



226 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

Great care should be taken as to the manner of reading the 
sacred lesson. It should be read slowly and with becoming 
gravity. The sacred lesson is often lost from the careless man- 
ner in which it is read. 

The practice of reading the Scriptures in the congregation 
is abundantly warranted in both the Old and New Testaments. 
"God no sooner caused any part of his will or word to be written 
than he also commanded the same to be read, not only in the 
family, but also in the congregation, and that even when all 
Israel were assembled together — men, women, children, and 
even the strangers that were within the gates." "Assemble the 
people, the men and the women and the little ones, and thy 
stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that 
they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do 
all the words of this law" (Deut. 31: 12). When synagogues 
were erected in Israel, the service consisted mainly in reading 
and expounding the law. Joshua "read all the words of the 
law before all the assembly of Israel and the women, and the lit- 
tle ones, and the strangers" (Josh. 8 :34, 35). Joshua went into 
the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah, and 
he "read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant" 
(II. Kings 23 : 2). Ezra read from the book of the law in the 
hearing of the congregation, "from early morning until mid- 
day" (Neh. 8:3). We need not multiply quotations from the 
Old Testament. There are scores of examples where the Scrip- 
tures were read in the public assembly, and that, too, by divine 
authority. 

In the New Testament, we have both example and precept 
for reading the Scriptures in the public assembly. Jesus went 
into the synagogue at Nazareth and "stood up to read," and 
read from the book of Isaiah a prophecy concerning himself. 
(Luke 4: 16-18). After reading the lesson, he expounded unto 
them its meaning. This example is worthy of our serious atten- 






BEADING AND STUDYING TEE SCRIPTURES 227 

tion. Paul, in writing to Timothy, says, "Give heed to read- 
ing, to exhortation, to teaching." There can be no reason 
for separating these three, as if the first was only a private 
duty and the others public ones ; the most natural and consistent 
idea is that they were all public duties. "If priests and proph- 
ets, and Christ and his apostles practiced the reading of the 
Holy Scriptures in the public congregation, it is abundant rea- 
son why ministers and others conducting public service should 
do so now. 

Eeading the Holy Scriptures, whether publicly or privately, 
is a very pleasant service to all who desire to know the will of 
God. If we seek and obtain the right spirit, we shall in read- 
ing the blessed Word realize that we are really communing with 
the mind of Christ ; and we will also realize that new strength 
has been gained each time we read the blessed Word. Dr. 
Wayland, during a time of feeble health, wrote : "I have read 
the Bible more than ever in my life in the same space of time ; 
and at every reading I find more to love and admire. Blessed 
be God ! I am able to read his Word with increasing interest, 
and to entertain a more constant hold of eternal life." 

There is a deep vein of spirituality running through the 
Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. Some read the sacred 
Word, but do not seem to realize how deeply the truth is im- 
bedded in spiritual life. The Scriptures are a revelation from 
God to man. They are addressed to him as an intellectual and 
spiritual being. In them there is found food for the intellect 
and food for the soul. The truths may be understood and ex- 
pounded intellectually, without an experimental knowledge of 
their power and helpfulness. Nicodemus understood the law 
intellectually, but seemed not to know anything about the spir- 
itual intent of the law. When Jesus told him that he must be 
born again, he was surprised and asked how such a thing could 
be. Our Lord said, "Art thou the teacher of Israel, and under- 



228 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

standest not these things? That which is born of the flesh 
is flesh ; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel 
not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born anew." Otter- 
bein understood the cardinal doctrines of the gospel and ex- 
pounded them clearly, but it was several years after he had com- 
menced preaching before he became acquainted with the spir- 
itual power of the gospel. The same was true with Wesley, and 
the same may be true with many a teacher to-day. Paul's 
preaching was "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" 
(I. Cor. 2:4). The Bible is for the whole man — physically, 
intellectually, and spiritually; and in that light it should be 
read, studied, and preached. 



CHAPTEK XXVII. 

PUBLIC WORSHIP. 

"The scriptural obligation of public worship," says Mr. 
Watson, "is partly founded upon example, and partly upon 
precept, so that no person who admits that authority, can ques- 
tion this great duty without manifest and criminal inconsist- 
ency. The institution of public worship under the law, and the 
practice of synagogue worship among the Jews from at least 
the time of Ezra, cannot be questioned, both of which were sanc- 
tioned by the practice of Christ and his apostles." 

Dr. Pope, in speaking of the essential and common character- 
istics of public worship, says: "It includes (1) adoration of 
God himself, praise of his perfections and works, thanksgiving 
for his mercies, as the tribute due the Supreme from his peo- 
ple; (2) confession, prayer, intercession, as demanded by their 
sinful character, their needs, and charity; (3) their assem- 
bling together to offer both." 

Dr. A. A. Hodge describes religious worship thus : "(1) That 
the obligation to render supreme worship and devoted service to 
God is a dictate of nature as well as a doctrine of revelation. 
(2) That God, in his Word, has prescribed for us how we may 
worship him acceptably, and that it is an offense to him and a 
sin in us either to neglect to worship and serve him in the way 
prescribed or to attempt to serve in any way not prescribed. (3) 
That the only proper objects of worship are the Father, Son, 
and Holy Ghost, and that since the fall these are to be ap- 
proached only through a mediator, and through the mediation 
of none other than Christ alone. (4) That religious worship 
is upon no pretense to be rendered to angels or to saints or to 
any other creature." Eeason and revelation unite in telling that 



230 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

God in trinity is the only being entitled to the worship of men 
and angels. His absolute power, wisdom, and infinite perfec- 
tion make him the only rightful object of worship. Our weak- 
ness, ignorance, and utter helplessness make it most reasonable 
that we worship just such a being. 

Acceptable worship, whether private or public, is the devotion 
of the heart to God — pure, sincere, and affectionate. In I. Chr. 
16: 29, David said, a Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his 
name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the 
Lord in the beauty of holiness. " This same language occurs 
several times in the Old Testament, " Worship the Lord in the 
beauty of holiness.' 7 This teaches us that we must, in coming 
before the Lord, renounce all sin — the one supreme desire of the 
heart must be to please and honor God. We can form some idea 
of the nature of acceptable worship from what our Lord said to 
the woman of Samaria, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when 
the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and 
truth : for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers. God 
is a Spirit ; and they that worship him must worship in spirit 
and in truth" (John 4:23-25). All acceptable worship must 
spring from the heart, and must be of a spiritual nature ; the 
heart must be under the influence of the Holy Spirit. There is 
danger of public worship's becoming a mere performance. All 
the forms may be gone through with mechanically. Everything 
outwardly may be done decently and in order, but God is not 
pleased with any form of worship that is not spiritual. This 
appears to have been Paul's conception of acceptable worship. 
"I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the under- 
standing also : I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with 
the understanding also" (I. Cor. 14:15). In writing to the 
Ephesians, he directed them to "speak one to another in psalms 
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with 
your hearts to the Lord" (Eph. 5: 19). In Col. 3: 16, he di- 



PUBLIC WORSHIP 231 

rects them to sing "with grace in your hearts unto the Lord." 
The Scriptures abound with allusions to the nature of acceptable 
worship. It must be spiritual ; it must be with the understand- 
ing; and it must come from the heart. 

1. Scriptural authority for 'public worship. By public wor- 
ship is meant "the assembling of a professed Christian congre- 
gation for the purpose of giving and receiving instruction and 
offering prayers, homage, thanksgiving, and praise. 7 ' Public 
worship under the law from the time of Ezra will not likely be 
questioned; we therefore turn to the New Testament to see 
if it were sanctioned by Christ and the apostles. "And he came 
to Nazareth, where he had been brought up : and he entered, 
as his custom was, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and 
stood up to read" (Luke 4: 16). "And upon the first day of 
the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul 
discoursed with them" (Acts 20 : 7). "And it came to pass, that 
even for a whole year they were gathered together with the 
church, and taught much people" (Acts 11 : 26). "Not forsak- 
ing the assembling of ourselves together, as the custom of some 
is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see 
the day drawing nigh" (Heb. 10: 25). From these passages it 
must be apparent to all that public worship was not only sanc- 
tioned, but clearly taught by Christ and his apostles. No one 
who has the opportunity of attending public worship can neglect 
or refuse to do so, without bringing barrenness upon his own 
soul and also incurring the displeasure of the Almighty. 

The public worship of God includes reading and expounding 
the Scriptures, exhorting, singing, praying, and attending to the 
ordinances of the church. If the services are gone through with 
in the right spirit, many souls will be strengthened and helped. 
Mr. K. Watson says, "I know of no pleasures so rich, none so 
pure, none so hallowing in their influence and constant in their 
supply, as those which result from the true and spiritual wor- 



232 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

ship of God." Those who have proper conceptions of God, and 
worship him sincerely, will be lifted up by such service. It is 
a fact, as the history of all worshipers will show, that the wor- 
shiper will become more or less "assimilated to the moral char- 
acter of the object he worships." All the higher order of in- 
telligences about the throne worship God, so the humble wor- 
shiper on earth ij in company with the purest and most intelli- 
gent of all created beings. 

2. The command to teach all nations — preach the gospel to 
every creature — implies the assembling of the people together to 
hear. So the disciples and apostles must have understood it. 
On the day of Pentecost, and on many other occasions, as re- 
ported in the Acts of the Apostles, hundreds, and even thou- 
sands, were assembled together in one place to hear the Word 
preached. 

3. The benefits resulting from the public worship of God 
cannot all be named, much less discussed in this connection. 
By the public worship of God the church as a body confesses the 
name and authority of Christ ; the Holy Scriptures are read in 
the hearing of many who hear them nowhere else ; the ignorant 
are instructed; the vicious are warned and reproved; mercy 
is offered to all, through the merits of Christ; and to the af- 
flicted and sorrowful comfort and consolation is offered. As a 
means of advancing and extending the kingdom of Christ among 
men, public worship cannot be set aside. If public worship 
were discontinued, the church, in a comparatively short time, 
would cease to exist. This should be carefully considered by all 
who profess to be the friends of Christ ; and should also inspire 
in the heart of every Christian the desire and purpose to attend 
whenever practicable the public worship of God. 

Another fact should not be overlooked, that every necessary 
act performed in the congregation should be considered an act 
of worship — reading the Word, preaching, prayer, singing, 



PUBLIC WORSHIP 233 

attending to the ordinances, contributing to the support of the 
church, and testifying to the truth of revealed religion. The 
object in going to the house of God, or place of public worship^ 
is not to go through with the services in a mechanical sort of 
way, but to worship — worship in very deed. If Christians gen- 
erally would carry the idea of worship into all the services of the 
sanctuary, the church would become more spiritual and more 
powerful for good. 

4. Concerning the manner of conducting public worship, 
much ought to be said, both in relation to the pulpit and the 
pew. The worship in all its parts should be orderly, sincere, 
solemn, simple, cheerful, and spiritual. Going through with 
simple forms of worship in the public assembly will accomplish 
nothing, except as they are quickened by the presence of the 
Holy Spirit. The worship, in whatever form, to be helpfu^ 
must be in spirit and in truth. 

5. It is the indispensable duty of all who profess the name 
of Christ to attend the public means of grace, whenever it is 
at all practicable. It is now, as it was in the apostles' day, the 
manner of some to neglect public worship. This they do to their 
own hurt. We need to use all diligence, both in private and 
public worship, to make our calling and election sure. We will 
conclude this brief chapter with an extract from Clement of 
Rome concerning the manner and authority for public worship : 
"We ought also, looking into the depth of the divine knowledge, 
to do all things in order, whatsoever the Lord hath commanded 
to be done. We ought to make our oblations and perform our 
holy offices at their appointed seasons, for these he hath com- 
manded to be done, not irregularly or by chance, but at determ- 
inate times and hours ; as he hath likewise ordained by his su- 
preme will where, and by what persons, they shall be performed, 
that so all things being done according to his pleasure, may be 
acceptable in his sight." 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

CHRISTIAN BENEVOLENCE. 

By Christian benevolence is meant a the disposition to do 
good ; good will ; kindness ; charitableness ; love of mankind, 
accompanied by a desire to promote their happiness.'*' 

Benevolence, technically considered, is passive; it is a dis- 
position toward, and a desire for, the happiness and welfare of 
others. It forms the true basis of beneficence. They mutually 
imply each other. Beneficence is benevolence at work. The 
idea of active benevolence is incorporated in the religion of the 
Bible, and no duty is more frequently mentioned and in more 
different ways in the Holy Scriptures than that of giving. Cov- 
etousness, which is the direct opposite of active benevolence, and 
which Paul, in Col. 3 : 5, calls idolatry, is condemned on almost 
every page of God's Word. It is not only offensive to God, but 
degrading and ruinous to the human soul. Benevolence shines 
out in all the works and ways of God, and is a constant rebuke 
to the spirit of avarice. Dr. J. Dryden says that avarice is "a 
thing so monstrous that nothing in nature besides is like it, 
except it be death and the grave, the only things I know which 
are always carrying off the spoils of the world, and never mak- 
ing restitution. For otherwise all the parts of the universe, as 
they borrow of one another, so they will pay what they borrow, 
and that by so just and well balanced an equality, that their pay- 
ments always keep pace with their receipts." Active benevo- 
lence is not only scriptural, but it is founded in the very nature 
of things. 

Tithing was incorporated into the Mosaic law, but it existed 
long before the time of Moses. Abraham offered the tithes of 
his spoil to Melchizedek as priest of the Most High God. (Gen. 

234 






CHRISTIAN BENEVOLENCE 235 

14: 17-24.) Jacob vowed to pay the one-tenth of all his income 
to Jehovah. When paying tithes was first introduced we do 
not know, but the custom is very ancient. It was kept up all 
through the Mosaic dispensation; and while no mention is 
made of it in the New Testament, the principle is fully 
recognized. Every Israelite was required to pay the one-tenth 
of all his income to the Levites as ministers, and the Levites 
in turn were to pay one-tenth to Aaron, so that the priests and 
the people were under the same rule. This was God's order, 
and while it may be true that the matter of tithing is not men- 
tioned by name in the New Testament, the divine order of giv- 
ing, though in different form, still remains. 

The Israelites were not only required to tithe under the law, 
but to make offerings as occasion required. Turning to Mai. 
3 : 8, we read, a Will a man rob God ? yet ye rob me. But ye 
gay, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings/' 
To withhold from God what justly belongs to him, he calls rob- 
bery ; and if it were robbery under the law, it is no less so under 
the gospel. The people had so withheld their tithes and offer- 
ings from the temple of God that the priests had not food 
enough to sustain them, and the sacred service was neglected. 
Turning to Neh. 13 : 10, he says, "And I perceived that the por- 
tions of the Levites had not been given them; so that the Levites 
and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his 
field." ISTehemiah had been absent for a time, and during his 
absence the people had neglected to bring their tithes and offer- 
ings to the temple, so the priests were compelled to abandon 
""the sacred service and betake themselves to the cultivation of 
the soil." Under the law, the people were required to pay for 
the support of the priests one-tenth of all their income. This 
principle is fully incorporated in the gospel system. 

In I. Cor. 9 : 13, 14, Paul says, "Know ye not that they which 
minister about sacred things eat of the things of the temple? 



236 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

. . . Even so did the Lord ordain that they which proclaim 
the gospel should live of the gospel." The anostle shows that the 
divine economy under the law was that the priests, and their 
assistants that ministered in holy things in the temple, were to 
be supported by the tithes and offerings of the people ; so under 
the gospel the same order is to be observed, "for so hath the Lord 
ordained/' In Matt. 10 : 10, Jesus said, "The labourer is 
worthy of his food/' And in Luke 10 : 7, he says, "For the 
labourer is worthy vf his hire." In both these places it is very 
evident that our Lord has reference to the preacher of the gospel. 

God could carry on the affairs of his government without em- 
ploying either angels or men, but in his infinite wisdom and 
goodness, he employs both. He could feed and clothe his min- 
isters without the assistance of the people, but for man's own 
sake, and to confer a gracious honor upon him, he has ordained 
that he shall assist. Those who can appreciate the distinguished 
honor thus conferred upon them will cheerfully and willingly 
perform their part. 

The reasonableness of giving is clearly and beautifully set 
forth in the twenty-ninth chapter of First Chronicles. David, 
the king, called the people together and asked them for an offer- 
ing toward building the temple. This was not tithes, but an 
offering over and above tithes. This fact should not be over- 
looked, that the people under the Mosaic economy not only paid 
tithes, but made offerings besides. David, on this occasion, 
asked for an offering. And when he had stated the object of the 
offering, the people responded more readily and willingly than 
he had anticipated. When he looked upon the vast amount con- 
tributed he said, "But who am I, and what is my people, that 
we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all 
things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. 
. . . All this store that we have prepared to build thee an 
house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine 



CHRISTIAN. BENEVOLENCE 237 

own." If Christians generally recognized the truth that the 
"earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof," and that what 
they have and what they give is the Lord's, they would not only 
give more willingly, but more abundantly. David said, "Of 
thine own have we given thee." We have nothing, and merit 
nothing, but God, in his unspeakable kindness, gives us of his 
own to use and enjoy. "Every good gift and every perfect boon 
is from above, coming down from the Father of lights." In all 
the range of human thought there is nothing more reasonable 
than that of giving. Considering our utter helplessness and 
dependence, and considering the gracious kindness of our Heav- 
enly Father, there is nothing more unreasonable than that we 
should be penurious, and withhold from our merciful bene- 
factor the small amount he asks. 

Every Christian should adopt some system or rule by which 
to be governed in the matter of giving. If he cannot conscien- 
tiously adopt tithing, — giving one-tenth of his income, — then let 
him adopt Paul's rule, "Upon the first day of the week let each 
one of you lay by him in store, as the Lord hath prospered him/' 
He had given the same direction to the church at Galatia. But, 
if he cannot adopt either of these rules, then let him go before 
God in fervent prayer and settle the question for himself. 
Jacob was alone with God when he vowed to give the one-tenth 
of all the Lord should give him. What is needed, next to a lib- 
eral spirit, is system, some definite rule by which to be governed. 
This haphazard way of giving finds no support in the sacred 
Scriptures. But few comparatively seem to think of giving of 
the firstfruits of their income to God. They supply all their 
own wants first, and then, if they have anything left, they will 
give something; not a tenth, not as the Lord has prospered 
them, but as they chance to feel. 

The doctrine of Christian benevolence, both by precept and 
example, is made prominent throughout the Scriptures. It in- 



238 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

heres in the very spirit of Christ's religion. While faith alone 
is the condition of justification, yet faith alone will not preserve 
the soul in a justified state. James says, "Faith, if it have not 
works, is dead in itself." The Psalmist says, "Trust in 
the Lord, and do good" (Ps. 37:3). Concerning the life of 
Christ while on earth, Peter said, he "went about doing good" 
(Acts 10: 38). He did good, both to the souls and bodies of 
men. He breathed his own spirit into his own religion, and no 
man is, or can be one of his disciples that does not partake of 
that same spirit. "But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, 
he is none of his" (Kom. 8:9). "Have this mind in you, 
which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5). Having the mind 
and spirit of Christ, it would be a marvel if such a soul were 
illiberal or covetous. 

To show the importance our Lord attaches to acts of benevo- 
lence, take his description of the judgment of the last day, 
(Matt. 25: 31-46.) All nations shall be gathered before him, 
and he shall separate them one from the other. To those on his 
right hand he will say, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit 
the kingdom, . . . For I was an hungred, and ye gave me 
meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink : I was a stranger, 
and ye took me in ; naked, and ye clothed me : I was sick, and 
ye visited me : I was in prison, and ye came unto me." Then 
the righteous, in surprise, will answer, "Lord, when saw we 
tjiee" thus hungry, thirsty, sick, naked, and in prison, and ad- 
ministered to thy wants ? Then the king will say unto them, 
"Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even 
these least, ye did it unto me" Here is a lesson all Christians 
would do well to study. What we do in his name to relieve, 
comfort, and assist those about us who need help, is the same 
in his sight as if we did it unto him. This truth should be ac- 
cepted with delight. That we can perform acts of kindness to 
those about us that he will accept, the same as if they had been 






CHRISTIAN BENEVOLENCE 239 

done directly to himself, is no mean honor ; and, moreover, will 
be proclaimed in the presence and hearing of the angels and all 
the nations of the earth. 

The opportunities for doing good, and thus pleasing the Lord, 
and honoring ourselves, are continually around us. It is not 
so much in the amount we do as the spirit in which we do it. 
That widow who cast in her two mites had more honor than the 
rich who threw in ten or twenty times as much. The difference 
was not in the amount cast in, but in the spirit prompting the 
act. No higher honor was ever conferred upon mortal than 
Jesus conferred upon the woman that anointed him, when he 
said, "She hath done what she could" (Mark 14: 8). If, in the 
end, we shall have done what we could, it will be well. 

We are here to be good and to do good. Each is directly re- 
sponsible to God for what he is morally, and for what he does. 
The ministry and all the institutions of the church are to be 
sustained by the tithes and offerings of the people. This is 
God's order, which every Christian is morally bound to respect. 
The gospel is to be preached to all the nations and peoples of the 
earth, and more than one-half the people have not yet heard the 
story of the cross. If Christians could be so lifted up as to see 
things in the clear light of God's Word, the poor and needy 
would be better cared for, and, within a score of years, the gospel 
of the kingdom would be offered to all the peoples of the earth. 
In Acts 20 : 35, Paul says, "In all things I gave you an example, 
how that so labouring ye ought to help the weak, and to remem- 
ber the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, It is more 
blessed to give than to receive." In II. Cor. 9 : 6, 7, Paul says, 
"But this I say, He that soweth sparingly shall reap also spar- 
ingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bounti- 
fully. Let each man do according as he hath purposed in his 
heart ; not grudgingly, or of necessity : for God loveth a cheer- 
ful giver/' Turning to Prov. 11 : 24, 25, we read, "There is 



240 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

that scattereth, and increaseth yet more ; and there is that with- 
holdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth only to want. The 
liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be 
watered also himself." The duty, reasonableness, and benefits 
of giving are so clearly and forcibly set forth in these scriptures 
that comment is unnecessary. 

We think it well to urge once more the necessity of adopting 
some system in the matter of giving. God does not require any- 
thing unreasonable. We do not insist that the one-tenth rule 
should be adopted, but we do insist that it is not too much to 
give. Let us consider our condition. We have nothing — abso- 
lutely nothing. The earth, with all its fullness, belongs to God. 
We are but stewards, or tenants. What rent should we pay? 
Is one-tenth too much ? Who rents his lands to his friend or 
neighbor for one-tenth the income? Taking the aggregate in- 
come of the Christian church at this time, and the strong prob- 
abilities are that it does not pay more than one-fortieth of its 
income to the cause of Christ. Why is this ? First, Christians 
do not realize the moral responsibility resting upon them to give 
more liberally ; second, the great majority have not adopted any 
system by which to be governed in the matter of giving. 

The idea of benevolence in one form or another is founded 
on the very nature of things. Cicero said, "Men resemble the 
gods in nothing so much as in doing good to their fellow-crea- 
tures." God only is independent. Everything in the universe 
but himself is dependent. Every law and force in nature would 
cease to be operative if the divine presence were withdrawn. 
Mature, in ten thousand ways, is receiving and giving. Beasts, 
birds, and fishes are receiving and giving. Man is receiving; 
is he alone exempt from the otherwise universal law of giving ? 
He who is daily and hourly receiving from God and nature, 
shall he not give ? Coudray says, "As the moon doth show her 
light to the world which she receiveth from the sun, so we ought 



CHRISTIAN BENEVOLENCE 241 

to bestow the benefits received of God to the profit of our neigh- 
bor. 7 ' Marcus Aurelius said that he "could not relish a happi- 
ness which nobody shared but himself." Mark Antony, when 
depressed and at the ebb of fortune, said that he "had lost all, 
except what he had given away." Cato, at the close of life, said 
that the greatest comfort of his old age, and that which gave him 
the highest satisfaction, was the pleasing remembrance of the 
many benefits and friendly offices he had done to others. We 
close this short chapter in the words of Him who spoke as never 
man spoke. "Give, and it shall be given unto you ; good meas- 
ure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they 
give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall 
be measured to you again" (Luke 6 : 38). 

16 



CHAPTEK XXIX. 

THE CHURCH. 

The term "church," from the Greek u^oia properly means 
an assembly called together on business, without reference to 
the character of the business; it may be lawful or unlawful. 
The word "church" is often used to denote any particular de- 
nomination, as the Romish Church, the English Church. 

The term "church" is often improperly used to signify the 
house of worship. Houses built for worship should not be 
called churches. This is not the sense in which the term was 
used in the New Testament. 

The words "visible church" are properly used when applied 
to a "congregation of faithful men, in which the word of God 
is preached and the sacraments duly administered, according 
to Christ's ordinances, in all those things that of necessity are 
requisite to the same." This was the sense in which it was most 
commonly used in the New Testament. The apostles often 
spoke of the churches, when it is evident that single congrega- 
tions which met to worship were meant, and nothing more. Be- 
cause the term was often used in this sense, we are not to con- 
clude that it was never used in a more general sense. 

We will give a few passages to show that the word "church" 
was sometimes used by the apostles to signify individual con- 
gregations. "So the church throughout all Judaea and Galilee 
and Samaria had peace" (Acts 9: 31). "And when they had 
appointed for them elders in every church" (Acts 14: 23). "So 
the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in 
number daily" (Acts 16 : 5). "Who for my life laid down their 
own necks ; unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the 
churches of the Gentiles" (Rom.jL6: 4). "Only, as the Lord 



THE CHURCH 243 

hath distributed to each man, as God hath called each, so let him 
walk. And so ordain I in all the churches" (I. Cor. 7: 17). 
"John to the seven churches which are in Asia" (Rev. 1:4). 

The apostles sometimes used the word "church" in relation 
to some particular locality, in which case it could not imply 
more than a single congregation of Christians. "And it came 
to pass, that even for a whole year they were gathered together 
with the church, and taught much people; and that the dis- 
ciples were called Christians first in Antioch" (Acts 11:26). 
"I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the 
church that is at Cenchreae: . . . and salute the church 
that is in their house" (Rom. 16: 1, 5). "Unto the church of 
God which is at Corinth" (I. Cor. 1:2). "Salute the brethren 
that are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church that is in 
their house" (Col. 4:15). 

These passages clearly show that the word "church" was 
often used by the apostle and applied to a single congregation 
of Christians. 

Mr. Wesley says, "Originally every Christian congregation 
was a church independent of all others." 

Mr. Watson says, "Through the greater part of the second 
century the Christian churches were independent of each 
other." 

Dr. Clarke says, "In the proper use of this word there can 
he no such thing as the church exclusively; there may be a 
church, or the churches." 

Now, while it is true that the term "church" was frequently 
used by the apostles and applied to single congregations of 
Christians, it is also true that it was often used to denote "the 
whole body of God's chosen people in every period of time. 
Those on earth are called the militant, and those in heaven the 
triumphant church." "This is what is sometimes called the 
invisible universal church." 



244 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

Before giving any scripture proof in favor of the foregoing 
proposition, we think it proper to state that, while we hold that 
all Christians, in all the ages, whether in heaven or on earth, are 
members of Christ's general invisible church, we also hold to 
the validity of visible church organization. By visible church 
organization we mean "for a number of Christian persons, vol" 
nntarily, understandingly, and visibly to recognize each other 
as Christians, and to agree to be a church, to appoint in some 
way the necessary officers of a church, for the purpose of enjoy- 
ing the immunities and doing the work of a church of Jesus 
Christ, in accordance with his will as taught in the New Testa- 
ment. Furthermore, such church, thus organized, has a right 
to admit or recognize such other persons as members as they 
may judge worthy, and to expel or disown such members as they 
may judge unworthy, according to the law of Jesus Christ." 

No one denomination comprises the whole visible church of 
Christ. As stated, the term, or word "church" may be applied 
to a single congregation; it may be applied to an indefinite 
number of congregations under one form of church polity; it 
may be applied to the whole visible church, including all con- 
gregations which meet to worship God ; it may be applied to 
denote the general invisible church of Christ. Dr. Miley says : 
"No one denomination is the church in its comprehensive sense. 
No one is in this sense the visible church, which comprises all 
who are in Christian communion ; no one is the invisible 
church, which comprises all who are truly Christians." The 
matter of church government will be considered in another 
chapter. 

There are distinctions between the general invisible church 
and the general visible church, which it is not necessary to carry 
to the last analysis. In a sense, they are both visible. All who 
are members of the general invisible church are members of the 
general visible church. But all who are members of the general 



THE CHURCH 245 

visible church are not members of the general invisible church. 
A clear and distinct difference between the visible and invisible 
church may be stated thus: (1) The general invisible church 
includes all out of every kindred and tongue and people and 
nation who are truly saved. No one denomination has in its 
communion all who belong to the invisible church. (2) The 
visible church includes all who are recognized as members of a 
Christian church. Xo one denomination can justly claim to be 
the general visible church. 

We will now give a few passages to show that the term 
"church'' was used by the sacred writers and applied to the 
general invisible church. "To the general assembly and church 
of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven" (Heb. 12:23). 
"And he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave 
him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, 
the fulness of him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1 : 22). "That 
he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not 
having spot or wrinkle or any such thing ; but that it should be 
holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5 : 27). "And he is the head 
of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn 
from the dead ; that in all things he might have the preemi- 
nence. Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill 
up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ 
in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church" (Col. 1: 
18, 24). 

In all these texts the term "church" is used in a general sense, 
and denotes the whole body of God's people in every period of 
time. The general invisible church is one everywhere. In this 
sense, God has but one church — one spiritual family ; and all 
Christians, of all the ages, whether in heaven or on earth, are 
members of this one spiritual family. This church was organized 
and made public in the family of Abraham. God had a church, 
or people, prior to the time of Abraham, but what their form 



246 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

of worship was we are not particularly informed. While the 
visible forms and ceremonies of the Abrahamic church were 
changed under the administration of Christ and his apostles, no 
new church was organized. The identity of the Abrahamic 
church still remains. In spirit and doctrine the church is, al- 
ways has been, and ever will be the same. All genuine Chris- 
tians, in all the ages, and by whatsoever denominational names 
they may be known, are members of this one church. God has 
but one spiritual family, "from whom every family in heaven 
and on earth is named" (Eph. 3: 15). Upon this verse, Dr. 
Clarke says, "Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ on earth; the 
spirits of just men made perfect, in a separate state; and all 
the holy angels in heaven, make but one family, of which God 
is the Father and head. St. Paul does not say of whom the 
families, as if each order formed a distinct household, but he 
says family, because they are all one, and of one/' 

It is no mean honor to be reckoned as a member of the same 
family with Abraham, with all the holy prophets, with the apos- 
tles, with the spirits of just men made perfect, and all the holy 
angels, yet that is the exalted standing of every Christian on 
earth. Each may say, "The God of Abraham is my God, the 
Redeemer of Isaiah is my Redeemer, and the final home for all 
the good is my home." 

The conditions of membership in this general invisible 
church are faith and obedience. Abraham was justified by 
faith. (Rom. 4.) This faith was justified by works, or obedi- 
ence. ( Jas. 2:21, 22.) So now, persons are justified by faith. 
(Rom. 5:1.) And this, coupled with obedience to all the re- 
quirements of the gospel, is the condition upon which mem- 
bership in this church of the living God is retained. A person, 
for various reasons, may cease to be a member of a visible 
church organization — he may pass from one visible organi- 
zation into another; but no one ceases to be a member of 



THE CHURCH 247 

the general invisible church, until he ceases to be a Christian. 

Believers are inducted into this church by the Holy Spirit 
at the time of regeneration. "For in one Spirit were we all bap- 
tized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or 
free ; and were all made to drink of one Spirit" (I. Cor. 12 : 
13). One body and one spirit — one family. This composes 
""the general assembly," whose names are "written in heaven" 
(Heb. 12: 23). !N~o unregenerate person can become a member 
•of the general invisible church. Herein is a manifest distinc- 
tion between the visible and invisible church. Persons may, 
and we fear often do, become members of the visible church 
without a change of heart ; but this cannot be so in becoming a 
member of the invisible church of Christ. 

Because the general invisible church is one and indivisible, 
we are not thence to conclude that there is no need of a visible 
organization. The Scriptures abundantly provide for visible 
church organization. It were impossible to carry out all the 
requirements of the gospel of Christ without a visible organiza- 
tion. But we should always be careful to discriminate between 
the general invisible church of Christ, and the general visible 
church of Christ. 



CHAPTEK XXX. 

BAPTISM. 

The Protestant church admits of but two sacraments. These 
are baptism and the Lord's Supper. The word "sacrament" 
is derived from the Latin word sacramentum, which properly 
means an oath, such as was taken by soldiers, thereby binding 
themselves to be true to their country and commander, or gen- 
eral. Later it was used to mean simply an oath, obligation, or 
bond. "The word was adopted by the writers of the Latin 
church to denote those ordinances of religion by which Chris- 
tians came under an obligation of obedience to God, and w T hich 
obligation, they supposed, was equally sacred with that of an 
oath." The Westminster Larger Catechism defines it thus, "A 
sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ in his. 
church to signify a seal, and exhibit unto those that are within 
the covenant of grace the benefits of his mediation ; to 
strengthen and increase their faith, and all other graces, to 
oblige them to obedience." 

Dr. Watson says: "They are also seals. A seal is a con- 
firming sign, or, according to theological language, there is in 
a sacrament a signum significans, and a signum conftrmans ; 
the former of which is said, significare, to notify or to declare ; 
the latter, obsignare, to set one's seal to, to witness. The sacra- 
ments, therefore, when considered as signs, contain a declara- 
tion of the same doctrines and promises which the written word 
of God exhibits, but addressed by a significant emblem to the 
senses." Dr. Miley says : "The sacraments have a symbolical 
character. Baptism represents the work of regeneration through 
the agency of the Holy Spirit. The Supper represents the 
atonement in the sacrificial death of Christ." 

248 



BAPTISM 249 

Considering the true nature of a sacrament, it would be diffi- 
cult to find more than two which can be sustained by the Holy 
Scriptures. "The true doctrine is that a rite, in order to come 
up to the idea of a sacrament, should not merely present a vague 
and general resemblance between the external matter which is 
the visible substance of the rite, and the thing thereby signified, 
but also words of institution, and a promise by which the two 
are connected together." 

Dr. A. A. Hodge, in his commentary on the Confession of 
Faith (Presbyterian) says: 

"(1) A sacrament is an ordinance immediately instituted by 
Christ. 

"(2) A sacrament always consists of two elements: (a) an 
outward visible sign, and (b) an inward spiritual grace thereby 
signified. 

"(3) The sign in every sacrament is sacramentally united to 
the grace which it signifies; and out of this union the scrip- 
tural usage has arisen of ascribing to the sign whatever is true 
of that which the sign signifies. 

"(4) The sacraments were designated to represent, seal, and 
apply the benefits of Christ and the new covenant to believers. 

"(5) They were designed to be pledges of our fidelity to 
Christ, binding us to his service, and at the same time badges 
of our profession, visibly marking the body of professors and 
distinguishing them from the world." 

These two sacraments were instituted by Christ himself, and 
are to be perpetuated in his church to the end of time. When 
Christ commissioned the apostles, he said, "Go ye therefore, 
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the nam.3 
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," thus 
showing that wherever the gospel was preached, the ordinance 
of baptism was to be administered. Paul, when speaking of the 
Lord's Supper, says, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and 



250 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death, till he come." 
It would be difficult to interpret the language of Christ and 
Paul to mean anything other than the perpetuity of these 
sacraments. 

It is not only the duty of Christians to observe these ordi- 
nances, but as a means of grace they are helpful to all who sin- 
cerely practice them, and beside all the personal benefits that 
may come to those who observe them, they stand as living monu- 
ments in the church of Christ, testifying to the truth and divin- 
ity of Christianity. A noted infidel said that as long as Chris- 
tians continued to celebrate the sufferings and death of Jesus 
Christ the overthrow of Christianity was impossible. These 
two sacraments stand a living monument, ever pointing to Jesus 
Christ by whom they were instituted, and by whose authority 
they were connected with his church. 

In treating of Christian baptism as a sacrament three things 
should be considered, namely, the mode, the design, and the 
subjects. Volumes have been written upon each of these points, 
but our limits will not permit us to do more than briefly state 
a few points, thereby indicating our views on this question. 

1. The mode of Christian baptism. It is claimed by some 
that immersion is the only action of Christian baptism, and 
hence all who have not been immersed are not baptized. The 
point in dispute between Baptists and those who hold that im- 
mersion is unnecessary in order to baptism, is not whether 
immersion is baptism, but whether it is the only action of 
baptism authorized in the Scriptures. To establish immersion 
as the only action of Christian baptism it will be necessary to 
show: (1) That the word used to express the ordinance has no 
other meaning. (2) That the instances of baptism recorded 
in the Holy Scriptures show that the ordinances could not have 
been administered in any other way. (3) That the sacred writ- 
ers, in using the term, always used it in the sense of immersion. 



BAPTISM 251 

We will first examine the term used in expressing the ordi- 
nance. The word used is 6anT%o The lexicographers very 
generally agree that the word means to dip or immerse. But 
they also agree that it means to wash, to moisten, to wet, to 
tinge, to dye, to sprinkle, and to cleanse. In this sense the word 
was often used by the classics. It is well to state particularly 
that to prove a specific action by a single word, it must be a word 
that has but one meaning. The majority of the standard lexi- 
cographers, such as Schrevelius, Schleicher, Scapula, Hederich, 
Parkhurst, and Ainsworth define the word to immerse, dip, 
wash, wet, moisten, and tinge. Among the classics, Plutarch, 
Hippocrates, and Aristotle used the word to signify nothing 
more than to moisten, tinge, and sprinkle. How, then, is a 
specific action to be proven from a word of two or more 
meanings ? 

We think it well to emphasize this fact in this connection: 
To prove a specific act by a single word, it must be shown that 
that word has no other meaning, and that it was always used 
in that sense. But it is a fact beyond all controversy that the 
majority of the lexicographers gave it a broader meaning. It is 
a fact that in classical use it did not always express the same 
idea. It is a fact that the sacred writers used the word when 
it could not be interpreted to mean immersion. How, then, is 
a specific act to be established by a generic word ? 

Mr. Carson, a learned and zealous immersionist, says : "My 
position is, that it [ barer'^u ] always signifies to dip, never ex- 
pressing anything but mode. Now, as I have all the lexicog- 
raphers and commentators against me in this opinion, it will be 
necessary to say a word or two with respect to the authority of 
the lexicons." In this Mr. Carson admits that the lexicogra- 
phers and commentators are against him in his opinion. Mr. 
Carson was a learned man, and a strong advocate of immer- 
sion, but upon his veracity as a scholar he had to admit that the 



252 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

lexicographers and commentators were against him; and in 
this he admits that they are against the main position of immer- 
sionists in general. 

We invite attention to an instance or two in which the word 
is used in the New Testament when it could not have been used 
in the sense of immersion. "I indeed baptize you with water 
. . . but he that cometh after ... he shall baptize 
you with the Holy Ghost and with fire" (Matt. 3: 11). Our 
Lord, as testified by Luke, says, "For John indeed baptized 
with water ; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not 
many days hence" (Acts 1:5). Here we have the two baptisms 
as set forth in precisely the same terms — baptized with water; 
baptized with the Holy Ghost. Now, if we can find out how 
they were baptized with the Holy Ghost, that will determine 
how they were baptized with water, for the terms are precisely 
the same. 

In the second chapter of Acts, we have recorded the fulfill- 
ment of this promise — the baptism of the Holy Ghost. And 
how was it accomplished ? The Lloly Ghost came upon them. 
"They were all filled with the Holy Spirit." Then said Peter, 
"This is that which hath been spoken by the prophet Joel [Joel 
2 : 28, 32] ; And it shall be in the last days saith God, I will 
pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh, . . . and on my 
servants and on my handmaidens, . . . will I pour forth my 
Spirit." Peter, in rehearsing the matter, says, "He hath poured 
forth this which ye see and hear." Again, when Peter re- 
hearsed what had occurred at the house of Cornelius, he says, 
"And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, even as 
on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the 
Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water ; but 
ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 11: 15, 16). 

How were they baptized with the Holy Ghost ? Were they 
dipped or immersed in the Holy Ghost ? Certainly not. There 



BAPTISM 253 

was not an item connected with these baptisms of the Holy 
Ghost that in any way resembled dipping. Peter expressed it 
thus: The Holy Ghost "came upon/' was "poured out/' was 
""poured forth/ 7 and "fell on them." This shows beyond all dis- 
pute that the word fairrifa was sometimes used in the sense of 
affusion, and hence no definite mode or action can be established 
from the meaning of the word. 

Dr. Owen, a very learned man, says, " 6o7rWfu signifies to 
wash, as instances out of all authors may be given." Again he 
says, "Xo one place can be given in the Scriptures wherein 
fam-ifa doth necessarily signify either to dip or plunge." 
Again, "In this sense, as it expresseth baptism, it denotes to 
wash only, and not to dip at all, for so it is expounded. (Titus 
3: 5, etc.)." Again, "Wherefore, in this sense, as the word is 
applied unto the ordinance, the sense of dipping is utterly ex- 
cluded" (Owen's Works, Vol. XXL, page 557). 

Let it be borne in mind that it is no part of our purpose to 
attempt to show that immersion is not baptism, but that no one 
mode is definitely set forth in the Scriptures, to the exclusion of 
all other modes. It is our opinion that the word is generally 
used to express the ordinance without any reference to the mode 
of action. 

Four things constitute Christian baptism: (1) A proper 
subject, namely, a believer, or children of believing parents. 
(2) A proper administrator — one duly authorized to administer 
the ordinance. (3) The ordinance administered in the name 
of the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. (4) Water is 
the element to be used in the ordinance. We do not believe that 
the mode has anything to do with the validity of the ordinance. 
Everything else being right, a believer is truly baptized, whether 
he has been immersed, or whether the water has been sprinkled 
or poured upon him. There are times and circumstances under 
which it would not only be difficult, but actually impossible to 



254 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

administer the ordinance by immersion. If, therefore, the 
mode is essential to the validity of the ordinance, some persons 
would die without being baptized. And if, as some claim, there 
is no remission of sins without baptism, some souls, notwith- 
standing their repentance and faith in Christ, would perish, 
just because the ordinance could not be administered in a cer- 
tain way. We have no such conception of the gracious plan of 
human redemption. The gospel requires obedience, but not im- 
possibilities. Its claims are not only reasonable, but such as- 
can be complied with in all lands and in all conditions in life. 

There are instances upon record in the Acts of the Apostles 
where it would seem altogether improbable that the ordinance 
was administered by immersion. The number baptized on the 
day of Pentecost (Acts 2: 37-41), the baptism of the man of 
Ethiopia (Acts 8 : 38, 39), the baptism of Saul of Tarsus (Acts 
9: 17, 18; 22: 12-16), the baptism in the house of Cornelius 
(Acts 10 : 24), and in the prison at Philippi (Acts 16 : 23-33)— 
all render it extremely improbable that the ordinance was ad- 
ministered by immersion. 

No one mode, to the exclusion of all others, can be proven by 
the meaning of the word in itself, for it is generic, and not 
specific; nor from the word in classical use; nor from the 
biblical use of the word ; nor from the instances recorded in the 
New Testament, where the ordinance was administered; nor 
from the statements of the early Christian fathers of the church. 

The religion of Jesus Christ does not so much consist in 
meats and drinks, and forms and ceremonies, as in a right condi- 
tion of the heart. Obedience, which is a test of our loyalty to 
Christ and his cause, does not so much consist in the manner 
in which an act is performed as in the loving spirit from within, 
by which the act is prompted. 

2. The design of Christian baptism. From the history of 
baptism, and what is stated in the Bible in reference to it, we 



BAPTISM 25S 

can arrive at the design of the ordinance. It is very important 
for us to understand, as nearly as possible, what is the design of 
each ordinance. Everything in the gracious plan of human re- 
demption has its purpose, and not one of them should be over- 
looked. 

Baptism was not introduced by the Saviour, but by his au- 
thority it was adopted as a Christian ordinance. The precise 
time when baptism was introduced we may not know ; but it is 
a fact well established that it was practiced among the Jews 
long before the incarnation of Christ, and from the history of 
proselyte baptism, as practiced among the Jews, we learn "that 
it was a public act of initiation, signifying purification" 

John's baptism was not Christian baptism, for it had ceased 
before the great commission had been given by our Lord to his 
apostles. John's baptism, however, had its design, which, as 
Mr. Ralston says, "was a badge of profession, or an initiatory- 
rite into John's dispensation, implying that its recipient made 
a public confession of his sins, and a profession of repentance,, 
and of faith in a Messiah soon to appear." 

Christian baptism, as adopted by our Saviour, is a perpetual 
ordinance. This we infer from the nature of the commission. 
"Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing 
them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the 
Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I 
commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the 
end of the world" (Matt. 28: 19, 20). In this commission the 
command to teach and baptize extends to all nations ; the one 
is as extensive as the other — each including all nations. If 
baptism is not universal and perpetual, neither is teaching — 
"Teach all nations, baptizing them." 

From the history of baptism as it was practiced among the 
Jews, and statements made concerning John's baptism, and 
Christian baptism, we conclude that as a sacrament to be per- 



256 CHRISTIAN, THEOLOGY 

petuated in the church, its real design is (1) a sign of spiritual 
regeneration, (2) an outward visible seal of the covenant of 
grace, with a full surrender to God, through Jesus Christ, and 
a pledge to walk in newness of life, (3) the initiatory rite by 
which persons are united with the visible church of Christ. 

Dr. Pope defines Christian baptism to be "the rite ordained 
by our Lord to be the sign of admission into the church, and the 
seal of union with himself and participation in the blessings of 
the Christian covenant." 

Dr. Miley says, "Baptism is not only a sign of profession and 
mark of difference whereby Christians are distinguished from 
others that are not baptized, but it is also a sign of regeneration, 
or the new birth." These are substantially the views held and 
taught by a large body of the Protestant denominations. 

Water baptism does not induct us into the spiritual kingdom, 
or general invisible church of Christ, but it is intended, as a 
part of its design, to connect us with the people of God in visible 
form. 

Baptism as a Christian sacrament is a solemn ordinance, and 
should be strictly observed. It is pledging ourselves in the 
name of the Holy Trinity to be faithful and true. The apostles, 
who received their commission directly from the Saviour, at- 
tached no slight importance to the ordinance of baptism. It is 
evident from reading the history of what they did, as recorded 
in Acts, that immediately upon the profession of faith they ad- 
ministered the ordinance of baptism. ~No Christian can inno- 
cently neglect to attend to this ordinance. If it was necessary 
in the days of the apostles, it is no less necessary now. The com- 
mission to the church to-day is just what it was to the apostolic 
church. Teaching and baptizing go together. 

3. The subjects of Christian baptism. All who believe in 
the Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world, and have 
been regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit, are proper 



BAPTISM 257 

subjects for Christian baptism. All who believe in water bap- 
tism at all will admit this. But are these the only persons who 
should receive the ordinance of Christian baptism \ 

From a careful examination of the whole question, we con- 
clude that the children of believing, baptized parents are proper 
subjects for Christian baptism. We say believing parents be- 
cause unbelieving parents are not capable of taking upon them- 
selves the necessary moral obligation to train their children in 
the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 

Our limits will not permit us to do more than state a few of 
the arguments usually relied upon to establish infant baptism; 

(1) God had a church before Christ came into the world, and 
children were recognized as members of that church. That 
church was organized and made public, or visible, in the family 
of Abraham by the rite of circumcision. It should be particu- 
larly noted that the covenant which God made with Abraham, 
of which circumcision was the visible sign, contained, not only 
temporal blessings, but also all the spiritual blessings provided 
in the Messiah. 

(2) The church thus organized and made visible in the 
family of Abraham was never destroyed. It continued during 
the former dispensation, and includes all the gospel dispensa- 
tion. Children were received and recognized as members of 
this church. "This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, be- 
tween me and you, and thy seed after thee ; every male among 
you shall be circumcised" (Gen. 17:10). Circumcision was 
the seal of the covenant made with Abraham, and that covenant 
is the gospel covenant, under which we now live, for it was to 
be "an everlasting covenant." Baptism is now the seal of the 
covenant of grace. Children were admitted into this church by 
positive law, and nothing but positive law can exclude them 
from such membership. Inasmuch, therefore, as no such law 
can be found in the !N"ew Testament, we conclude that children 

17 



258 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

should be recognized as members of the church at the present 
time. 

Thus we reach the following facts: (1) God has but one 
church. (2) This church was rendered visible in the family 
of Abraham. (3) Circumcision was, by divine authority, made 
the seal of the covenant, and the visible sign of membership in 
the church. (4) The gospel church is not a new church, but a 
continuation of the Abrahamic church. The rites and cere- 
monies have been changed, but the church remains. All who 
are of faith are reckoned as the children of Abraham — members 
of the same spiritual family. (5) Children were admitted into 
this church by positive law and received the seal of the covenant. 
(6) Nothing less than positive law can legally deprive them of 
membership in this church. (7) Inasmuch as no such pro- 
hibitory law can be found in the New Testament, we conclude 
that they should still be recognized as members of the church, 
under the covenant of grace. (8) As all members of the church 
should receive the visible seal of such membership, children be- 
ing in the covenant of grace, and members of the church, should 
be baptized. 

3. Proselyte baptism. As already stated, baptism was prac- 
ticed in the church long before Christ came into the world; 
and as he adopted it as one of the sacraments in the New Testa- 
ment church, it is but reasonable to suppose that he designed 
that it should be observed in a manner similar to that in the 
Old Testament church. This is certainly a reasonable conclu- 
sion, unless we can find something in the New Testament au- 
thorizing a change. There is not a single word or act in the 
teachings and practice of Christ and his apostles that authorizes 
or indicates a change. 

Calmet says, "The Jews required three things for a complete 
conversion to their religion, baptism, circumcision, and a sacri- 
fice; but for women only baptism and a sacrifice." 



BAPTISM 259 

Witsius says, "When a Gentile became a proselyte of right- 
eousness, three ceremonies were used; namely, circumcision, 
baptism, and sacrifice." 

Marmonides, a Jew, and the great interpreter of Jewish law, 
Prideaux, Stackhouse, Dr. Wall, Dr. Clarke, and Dr. Watson, 
all testify that proselyte baptism was practiced among the Jews 
long before the time of Christ on earth. They also testify that 
"whenever Gentiles were proselyted to the Jewish religion, they 
were initiated by circumcision, the offering of sacrifice, and 
baptism. They were all baptized, males and females, adults and 
infants" 

This was the state of things among the Jews when Jesus said 
to his apostles, "Go ye into all the world and teach all nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost." "Must not his disciples have understood 
him to intend that kind of baptism to which both he and they 
had been accustomed, namely, the baptism of children with 
their parents? How could they have understood him in any 
other way ?" Let it be kept in mind that at the time, and in the 
country where Christ and his disciples were when he sent them 
out to preach, the standing custom was for children to be recog- 
nized as members of the church, and also to receive the children 
of proselytes into the church by baptism. The disciples were 
all Jews, and when Jesus adopted baptism, and authorized his 
apostles to administer it, would they not most likely understand 
him to intend them to do as they were accustomed to do ? "In- 
stead of needing an express command to authorize the baptism 
of children, the disciples needed an express prohibition to pre- 
vent their doing it," provided it was intended not to have it 
done. The disciples, acting under the great commission, went 
out teaching and baptizing, and not infrequently baptized house- 
holds. It is not unreasonable to suppose that there were chil- 
dren connected with some of the households that the disciples 
baptized. 



260 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

r 4* History of infant baptism. Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, 
of the second century, expressly mention infant baptism as the 
[practice of the church at that time. Origen, in the beginning 
of the third century, speaks also of infant baptism as the prac- 
tice of the church in his time. He further states that they re- 
ceived it as an order from the apostles to baptize children. 

Fidus, an African bishop, applied to Cyprian, bishop of 
Carthage, to know whether the baptism of infants might take 
place before the eighth day after birth. This question was laid 
before the synod which was held a. d. 254, at which sixty-six 
bishops were present. By this synod it was unanimously agreed 
that it was not necessary to defer baptism to the eighth day. 
The question was not whether infants should be baptized ; that 
was a settled practice in the church at that time. The only 
question related to time, whether before or on the eighth day 
after birth. 

Pelagius, who had a long controversy with Augustine on 
hereditary depravity, had strong inducements to reject infant 
baptism ; and it was reported that he had done so, but he repels 
the charge in very strong terms. He says : "Men slander me 
as if I denied the sacrament of baptism to infants. I never 
heard of any, not even the most impious heretic, who denied 
baptism to infants." This was about the close of the fourth 
century. 

We shall conclude this brief review with a quotation from 
Dr. Wall. It may be well to state that Dr. Wall is acknowl- 
edged to be one of the most learned men that ever wrote on this 
subject. He made a most critical research into the history of 
baptism. He says: "For the first four hundred years after 
Christ there appeared only one man, Tertullian, who advised 
the delay of infant baptism in some cases, and one Gregory, who 
did, perhaps, practice such delay in the case of his own chil- 
dren ; but no society of men so thinking or so practicing, nor 



BAPTISM 2G1 

any one man saving it was unlawful to baptize infants did ap- 
pear. So in the next seven hundred years there is not so much 
as one man to be found who either spoke for or practiced such 
delay, but all the contrary." 

Now, while we would not try to traduce any who may think 
differently on the subject, we nevertheless must conclude, after 
a careful review of the whole question, that the evidence in favor 
of infant baptism is vastly stronger than all that can be pro- 
duced against it. If children are in the covenant of grace, and 
we believe they are, the outward sign of that inward seal should 
be placed upon them. They are. members of God's family, re- 
deemed by the blood of Christ, and should be so recognized by 
the church. The tender regard shown to children by the 
Saviour ought to teach us many lessons. He took them in his 
arms and blessed them and said, "Of such is the kingdom of 
heaven." In these ways our Lord recognized them as in the 
covenant of grace, so that believing parents should not be denied 
the privilege of publicly consecrating their children to the Lord 
in the solemn ordinance of baptism. Children thus baptized 
"are placed in visible covenant relation to God, and under the 
special care and supervision of the church. 'The church herself 
should be profoundly concerned for their proper religious 
training.' " 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

THE LORD'S SUPPER. 

The Lord's Supper is a sacrament of great importance to the 
church, and should be observed by all Christians with deep 
humility of spirit. It is commemorative in that it brings 
to the mind the humiliation/ sufferings, and death of Christ; 
and, when properly observed, blessings of grace are communi- 
cated to the heart of the communicant. 

The time and circumstances under which this sacrament was 
instituted were solemn and impressive. We will turn at once 
to the sacred record: "And as they were eating, Jesus took 
bread, and blessed, and brake it ; and he gave to the disciples, 
and said, Take, eat ; this is my body. And he took a cup, and 
gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it ; for 
this is my blood of the covenant, which is shed for many unto 
remission of sins" (Matt. 26:28). In Mark 14:22-25, and 
Luke 22 : 14-20, we have substantially the same recorded. 

Paul not only gives the fact concerning the time and manner 
when this sacrament was instituted, but also its nature and 
design, with instruction to communicants. "For I received of 
the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, how that the Lord 
Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; and 
when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my 
body, which is for you : this do in remembrance of me. In like 
manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new 
covenant in my blood ; this do, as oft as ye drink it, in remem- 
brance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the 
cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore who- 
soever shall eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord un- 
worthily, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 



TEE LORD'S SUPPER 265 

But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread, 
and drink of the cup" (I. Cor. 11: 23-28). 

1. The sacrament, or the Lord's Supper, takes the place of the 
Passover. This we think is evident from the language of Paul: 
"Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, even as 
ye are unleavened. For our passover also hath been sacrificed, 
even Christ" (I. Cor. 5:7). Christ is our passover. Under 
the former dispensation the Passover pointed forward to Christ 
as a sacrifice for sin ; so now the sacrament points back to him 
as having been "slain for us." In the service of the Passover, 
there was the lamb for each household; in the service of the 
Lord's Supper there is also the Lamb Jesus Christ. The Lamb 
of God is our passover. 

2. The sacrament is a permanent institution, and was de- 
signed to be perpetuated to the end of time. In this it is like 
baptism. Both these sacraments are permanent institutions. 
Paul's language indicates the perpetuity of the Lord's Supper, 
"As often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim 
the Lord's death till he come." Christ's own words show that it 
was to be perpetuated, "This do in remembrance of me." The 
occasion was a very solemn one. Christ was about to be be- 
trayed — he was soon to die on the cross. He knew all about it. 
The disciples had some conception of it, but did not, and could 
not realize it as their Master did. How solemn the words of 
Jesus, "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you 
before I suffer." 

Concerning the supper, commentators and theologians do not 
fully agree. Some hold that it was the legal Passover, while 
others think not, because it occurred a few hours before the 
regular time for eating the passover. We think, however, that 
while it was a few hours in advance of the usual time for eating 
the passover, according to the law, the most reasonable hypothe- 
sis is that "our Lord at this time instituted the holy eucharist 



264 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

in place of the pascal lamb, and thus it will appear, he ate. a 
passover with his disciples the evening before his death; namely, 
the mystical passover, or sacrament of his body and blood ; and 
that this was the passover which he so ardently longed to eat 
with his disciples before he suffered." 

In Jesus Christ all the types and shadows ended. He is in- 
deed the substance — the glorious antitype — the end. So the 
holy sacrament was instituted by himself to take the place of 
the Jewish Passover, and to continue in the church a memorial, 
continually pointing to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who was 
slain for the sin of the world. "For as the paschal lamb had 
shadowed forth his death till he came, this death (on the cross) 
fulfilled the design of the rite and sealed up the vision and 
prophecy." Here is a scene the full significance of which we 
cannot comprehend: It was evening. Jesus, with his twelve 
disciples, was alone. They sat down to eat the passover. It 
was not the first time they had eaten the passover, but it was to 
be the last time. It had been practiced under the law for fif- 
teen hundred years, and now as they sat down our Lord said, 
"With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before 
I suffer." Jesus sat there between the two dispensations. The 
covenant under the law ended in him, while the covenant under 
grace began in him. They ate the passover together, which was 
the end of the ceremonial law, and he immediately instituted 
the sacrament which was to abide in the church to the end of 
time. It was not simply the twelve disciples that were passed 
from under the ceremonial law to the law of grace and salvation, 
but the whole world passed over. 

3. The Lord's Supper, or holy eucharist, is not only a me- 
morial of the sufferings and death of Jesus, but it stands as a 
substantial proof of the divinity of Christianity. It is a monu- 
ment in the church that all the waves of infidelity cannot wash 
away. As long as Christians celebrate this feast, Christianity 



THE LORD'S SUPPER 265 

will stand against all the assaults of her enemies. As they eat 
the bread, and drink of the cup, they thereby testify that Jesus 
lived, suffered, died, was buried, rose again, ascended to heaven, 
and will come again. All this is emblematically set forth in the 
sacrament. 

4. The nature of this sacrament. The Komish Church 
holds to the notion of transubstantiation, which is that the bread 
and wine in the eucharist is changed into the real body and 
blood of Jesus Christ. This is so manifestly absurd that it is 
a marvel that any intelligent person could believe it. 

(1) The idea of transubstantiation is contrary to the very end 
for which the holy eucharist was instituted. The bread and 
wine are to represent the body and blood of Jesus Christ — to 
commemorate his suffering and death — "This do in remem- 
brance of me!' 

(2) It is also contrary to our sense. If the bread and wine 
are changed into real flesh and blood, then our sense of touch, 
taste, and smell must be changed also. For to all these senses, 
as every communicant must testify, the bread remains bread 
and the wine remains wine. 

(3) Furthermore, it is contrary to all well-established rules 
of interpretation. All sound and reliable Bible critics say that 
the Holy Scriptures are to be interpreted so as to harmonize 
with reason and common sense. Is it in harmony with reason 
that the disciples should have understood the Saviour to mean 
his literal body and blood, when he handed them the bread and 
wine ? Was he not there at the table with them ? His body was 
not yet wounded, and his blood was not yet shed. How could 
they have understood him to mean his literal flesh and blood ? 

Take one or two passages to assist us in understanding 
Christ's language when he says, "This is my body," and, "This 
is my blood." He says, "I am the vine, ye are the branches." 
Paul says, "That rock was Christ." Did our Lord mean that 



266 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

he was a literal vine — a real grape-vine % Did Paul mean that 
■Christ was a literal rock \ The meaning is that the vine rep- 
resents Christ in his relation to his disciples, and the rock is a 
type of Christ. So the bsead and wine are emblems of the shed 
blood and wounded body of Christ. 

Consubstantiation teaches that while the bread and wine 
are not literally changed into the real flesh and blood of 
Christ, a yet his body and blood are literally 'present with the 
elements in the supper, and are literally received by the com- 
municants." This error is but little less objectionable than the 
Homanist idea of transubstantiation. 

The true nature of the Lord's Supper may be stated thus: 
(1) The bread and wine are symbols of the broken body and 
shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. (2) A seal of the covenant 
of grace. Our Lord said, "This cup is the new covenant in my 
blood, even that which is poured out for you" (Luke 22: 22), 
thus signifying that the benefits of the new covenant are sealed 
and applied to believers. (3) A commemoration of the suffer- 
ings and death of Jesus Christ. "This do in remembrance of 
me" (Luke 22: 19). "For as often as ye eat this bread, and 
drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come" 
(I. Cor. 11:26). 

Dr. Pope says: "This sacrament is an institution ordained 
for perpetual observance to commemorate the Saviour and espe- 
cially his death; to be the seal of the individual and constant 
union of his people with him by faith, and a bond of their com- 
munion with each other in their common Lord and Head." 

The Westminster Confession of Faith states it thus, "Our 
Lord Jesus, in the night wherein he was betrayed, instituted 
the sacrament of his body and blood called the Lord's Supper, 
to be observed in his church unto the end of the world, for the 
perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of himself in his death, 
the sealing all benefits thereof unto true believers, their spir- 



TEE LORD'S SUPPER 267 

itual nourishment and growth in him, their further engagement 
in, and to all duties which they owe unto him, and to be a bond 
and pledge of their communion with him and with each other, 
as members of his mystical body." 

Concerning the time, whether morning, noon, or evening, 
when this ordinance should be observed, and the kind of bread 
to be used, we have no definite instruction; neither as to the 
position of the body, whether standing, sitting, or kneeling. As 
to the wine, it would seem most reasonable that whenever and 
wherever it is at all practicable unfermented wine should be 
used. 

As a means of grace there is no service in the sanctuary more 
helpful to a Christian than to participate in the Lord's Supper. 
It tends to strengthen his faith in Jesus Christ and increase his 
love for him. It strengthens every holy desire in the soul and 
renews his obligations to walk in the way of his commandments. 
It also tends to bind the souls of Christians closer together. 

It is a memorial service, and it is the right and duty of all 
who believe in Jesus Christ, and are sincerely striving to follow 
him to participate in it. It is an institution which belongs to 
the church of Christ, and all his disciples have an equal right to 
participate in it. It is the Lord's table, no matter in what 
branch of the general church it may be spread. There is but 
one Lord's Supper to be celebrated, and as God has but one spir- 
itual family, all the members of that family have a right to 
"celebrate this one supper in every church or congregation of 
Christians among whom their lot may be cast." 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

THE SABBATH. 

The subject of the Christian Sabbath is of very great im- 
portance, and should be carefully considered. The Christian 
world has been much divided on this question. Our limits will 
not permit us to state all the theories which have been advanced. 
We shall confine ourselves mainly to the consideration of the 
following propositions : 

First, that the Sabbath, as now held by tlie great body of 
Christians, is of moral obligation. 

Second, that the day has been changed from the seventh to 
the first day of the week by divine authority. 

1. The observance of the Sabbath is of moral obligation. 
Whatever reasons existed in any age of the world for observing 
the Sabbath day exist to-day. Was the Sabbath given "to meet 
the wants of our moral nature ? It is needed to meet those wants 
now." Was there at any time a physical necessity for such a 
day % That necessity still remains. If a Sabbath is not needed 
at the present time, it never was needed. Some hold that the 
seventh day should be observed as the Sabbath, according to the 
law of Moses. Others hold that there is now no divine au- 
thority for observing any day. Others hold that as a matter of 
expediency the Sabbath should be kept, but there is no scrip- 
tural authority for it. We shall therefore call attention to some 
of the evidences in favor of the observance of the Sabbath as a 
moral obligation. 

Our Saviour said, "The Sabbath was made for man" — not 
for any particular class, not for any particular age, but for man. 
This includes the whole race, and is as universal as the family 
of man. It originated in the early morning of time, and came 

268 



TEE SABBATH 269 

down through the patriarchal age, was recognized in the wilder- 
ness, and finally incorporated in the decalogue. 

i 'Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. . . . the 
Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it" (Ex. 20; 8-11). 
This was written by the finger of God on tables of stone. Now 
observe that so far as we have any instruction, it is as much a 
moral duty to observe this command as any one of the ten, for 
they were all written by the finger of God. Note further : It 
was no new duty imposed upon them at that time. "Remember 
the sabbath day, to keep it holy," implying that he was reiterat- 
ing and placing in new and permanent form, and enforcing, 
under circumstances of a more awful solemnity, a precept with 
which that people were already familiar." This view is not 
only confirmed by the words, "Remember the sabbath day, to 
keep it holy," but by the words that follow, "The Lord blessed 
the sabbath day." When did the Lord bless the Sabbath day ? 
Clearly the reference here is to the time when it was first insti- 
tuted. The Sabbath was set apart and sanctified at the time of 
creation for holy purposes, and as a moral obligation it has 
never been repealed. If the Sabbath was made for man, as 
Jesus said it was, then as long as man exists that institution 
must remain. 

Dr. A. A. Hodge says, "The Sabbath was introduced as a 
divine institution at the creation of the race, and was then en- 
joined upon man as man, and hence upon the race generally and 
in perpetuity." 

Our Lord very clearly teaches that it is a moral duty to ob- 
serve the Sabbath day. He was asked, Which is the great com- 
mandment in the law ? The reference here was not to the cere- 
monial law, but to the Ten Commandments. Jesus answered, 
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with 
all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the great and first 
commandment. And the second like unto it is this, Thou shalt 



270 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments 
hangeth the whole law, and the prophets" (Matt 22:37, 40). 
There is no good reason to doubt but that the Ten Command- 
ments are here referred to, and our Lord sums them up in two; 
namely, love to God, and love to man. All the law and the 
prophets hang on these two. Now, by what authority does any 
man throw out the fourth commandment? There is just as 
much ground for throwing out the first commandment as there 
is to throw out the fourth. If to love God with all the heart is 
a moral duty, then the observance of the Sabbath day is also a 
moral duty. If the one is universal and perpetual, so also is 
the other. "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." This 
was as certainly written by the finger of God as any one of the 
Ten Commandments. 

The moral law is universal and perpetual; and the observ- 
ance of the Sabbath day is included in the moral law, therefore 
it must be universal and perpetual. The moral law, as given 
by Moses, remains in full force to-day. Not a sentence of it has 
ever been repealed. Every moral principle in the religion 
taught us in the Holy Scriptures is contained in the Ten Com- 
mandments. And when Jesus came and entered upon his public 
ministry he said : "Think not that I came to destroy the law or 
the prophets : I came not to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily 
I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one 
tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all the 
things be accomplished" (Matt. 5 : 17, 18). While the types 
and shadows of the law were fulfilled in Christ all the moral 
obligations contained in the law remained. The obligation to 
love God with the whole heart did not pass away in Christ. It 
remained. So, also, the obligation to observe and keep the Sab- 
bath day remained. How could it pass away in Christ, since 
it is included in that part of the law in which we are required 
to love God ? 



TEE SABBATH 271 

Paul teaches plainly that the law contained in the Ten Com- 
mandments is still in force. "Do we then make the law of 
none effect through faith ? God forbid : nay, we establish the 
law" (Rom. 3:31). Of what law was the apostle speaking 2 . 
A little further on in the argument the apostle says, "Howbeit, 
I had not known sin, except through the law: for I had not 
known coveting, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet" 
(Rom. 7:7). Here the apostle quotes directly from the Ten 
Commandments. The sum of the apostle's argument is this: 
The law of the Ten Commandments is still in force. He did 
not by any of his teachings make any part of that law void, but 
he declares that he "established the law." Now observe that to 
"keep the sabbath day holy" is as much a part of the law as to 
love God with all the heart. By the same rule that you strike 
one of these from the law you strike the other also. "Whoever, 
therefore, denies the obligation of the Sabbath on Christians, 
denies the obligation of the whole decalogue." They stand or 
fall together. 

When God wrote the Ten Commandments on the tables of 
stone he did not say, "I appoint to you a Sabbath day," as if it 
were then and there instituted, but, "Remember the sabbath day, 
to keep it holy," clearly implying that it was an institution al- 
ready in existence and well understood by the people. In its 
moral bearing it comes to us with the same authority as any 
other of the commandments. 

2. The change from the seventh to the first day of the week 
was by divine authority. Before introducing any reasons for 
claiming the change by divine authority, we think it will be 
proper to invite special attention to a few general statements: 
(1) It should be borne in mind that the obligation to keep the 
Sabbath day holy is a moral duty. (2) That a particular day 
is not an essential element of that which is a moral duty. (3) 
All nations could not observe the seventh day in point of exact 



272 CHRISTIAN, TEEOLOQJ 

time. If a special day is absolutely necessary, then a special 
hour is necessary in which to commence that day. But how 
could this be done \ Different nations live in different latitudes 
and longitudes, and so of necessity "would commence their Sab- 
bath at different times ; and the entire day held sacred by some 
would be desecrated by others." Those who contend that the 
particular seventh day is an essential element in the moral obli- 
gation of observing the Sabbath will find it difficult to fix upon 
any certain hour to commence. Suppose we say midnight is the 
proper time to begin the Sabbath, but when it is midnight here 
it is midday somewhere else, so that it is absolutely impossible 
to fix on any particular hour on which to commence and to end 
the Sabbath throughout the world. While the moral obligation 
to keep the Sabbath day holy is universal, the time cannot be 
made universal. "It is not, therefore, the seventh day accord- 
ing to any particular method of computing the septenary cycle, 
but in reference to the six before-mentioned days, every seventh 
day in rotation after six days of labor." 

We will now consider some of the evidences m favor of the 
change from the seventh to the first day of the week. Let it be 
particularly observed that "the fact of a Sabbath depends upon 
moral obligation, and cannot be changed, but the particular day 
upon which it is to be celebrated may be changed as often as 
may suit the will of the lawgiver." 

The change from the seventh to the first day of the week took 
place under the administration of the apostles. The apostles 
were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and what they said and did 
was, and is, of divine authority. 

Dr. Ralston says : "The apostles were divinely commissioned 
by our Lord to organize and regulate the Christian church, 'Go 
ye therefore,' said Jesus, 'and make disciples of all the nations. 
. • . teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I com- 
manded you' (Matt. 28:19, 20). This certainly embraced 



TEE SABBATH 273 

everything necessary to the organization and regulation of the 
church, and consequently included the institution of the Sab- 
bath." 

"When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day 
of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples 
were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, 
and saith unto them, Peace be unto you" (John 20:19). 
This was their first meeting after the resurrection of Christ, and 
it took place in the evening of the first day of the week, the day 
on which Christ rose from the dead. "And after eight days 
again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus 
cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, 
Peace be unto you" (John 20:26). This was their second 
meeting, and was also held in the evening of the first day of the 
week. "After eight days." "The day of the first meeting is 
reckoned as one day, which brings the next first day, the eighth." 
The day of Christ's resurrection was the first day of the week, 
and it began to be observed as a day of worship, and was so con- 
tinued by the apostles themselves until the Jewish Sabbath was 
entirely suspended. This, let it be remembered, was done by 
the apostles themselves. "And upon the first day of the week, 
when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed 
with them, intending to depart on the morrow, and prolonged 
his speech until midnight" (Acts 20:7). Now, observe that 
this meeting was held twenty-five years after the first meetings 
referred to in John 20. "The disciples came together to break 
bread," and Paul being present preached to them. This does 
not appear to have been an extra occasion, but a regular order 
of worship. 

"Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I gave order 
to the churches of Galatia, so also do ye. Upon the first day of 
the week let each one of you lay by him in store, as he may pros- 
per, that no collections be made when I come" (I. Cor. 16: 



274 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

1, 2). This was one year after the meeting at which Paul 
preached until midnight. The order given was not only for the 
church at Corinth, but for the churches of Galatia as well. 
From this it is evident that the general custom among the apos- 
tolic churches was to meet for worship on the first day of the 
week. Upon these last two passages, Dr. Clarke makes the fol- 
lowing comment, "That was called the Lord's day, the Chris- 
tian Sabbath, in which they commemorated the resurrection of 
our Lord, and which among all Christians afterward took the 
place of the Jewish Sabbath." Again, he says, "It appears that 
the first day of the week, which is the Christian Sabbath, was 
the day on which their principal religious meetings were held 
in Corinth, and the churches of Galatia, and consequently in 
all other places where Christianity had prevailed." 

"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day" (Rev. 1 : 10). Com- 
mentators and theologians generally agree that what was called 
the "Lord's day" was the first day of the week. This day was 
celebrated because it was the day upon which our Saviour arose 
from the dead, and all through the apostles' times it was ob- 
served as a day of worship, instead of the seventh day. 

The clear and unequivocal statement of the Christian fathers, 
beginning as far back as the apostles, and indeed in the very 
days of some of the apostles, must be considered as very good 
evidence of the fact that the first day of the week was the Chris- 
tian Sabbath. While we may not adopt all the opinions of the 
Christian fathers, we must consider their statement of facts as 
perfectly reliable. They were men of veracity. 

Ignatius, who was bishop at Antioch, a. d. 101, says, "Let 
every one that loves Christ keep holy the Lord's day, the queen 
of days, the resurrection day, the highest of all days." 

Irenseus, who lived in the second century, and was bishop of 
Lyons, and was a disciple of Polycarp, said, "On the Lord's day 
every one of us Christians keep the Sabbath." 



TEE SABBATH 275 

Theophilus, who was bishop at Antioch some time after 
Ignatius, and who lived and wrote in the second century, says, 
"Both custom and reason challenge from us that we should 
honor the Lord's day, seeing on that day it was that our Lord 
Jesus completed his resurrection from the dead." 

Clement of Alexandria, and of the second century, says, "A 
Christian, according to the command of the gospel, observes the 
Lord's day, thereby glorifying the resurrection of the Lord." 

Tertullian, of the second century, says, a The Lord's day is 
the holy day of the Christian church." 

Now, observe that all these witnesses testify that the first day 
of the week was called the Lord's day, and that the churches 
observed it as the Christian Sabbath. 

Eusebius informs us that from the beginning the Christians 
assembled on the first day of the week, called by them the Lord's 
day, for the purpose of religious worship. 

We will give one more witness, namely, Justin Martyr. He 
says : "On the Lord's day, all Christians in the city, or country, 
meet together, because that is the day of our Lord's resurrection, 
and then we read the writings of the apostles and prophets; 
this being done, the president makes an oration to the assembly, 
to exhort them to imitate and to practice the things they have 
heard ; then we all join in prayer, and after that we celebrate 
the sacrament. Then they who are able, and willing, give what 
they think proper, and what is collected is laid up in the hands 
of the president, who distributes it to orphans and widows and 
other necessitous Christians, as their wants require." 

Justin Martyr was a philosopher of the Platonic school. He 
was a learned man, and an able writer. It is supposed that he 
preached the gospel in Italy, Asia Minor, and Egypt. He wrote 
two apologies for the Christians. He was finally beheaded in 
Rome a. d. 165. In his statement you will notice that he 
states, not as an opinion, but as a fact, that "all Christians" 



276 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

observe the Lord's day as a day of worship. And so we have 
from, and including, the days of the apostles, the clearest evi- 
dence that the first day of the week was called the Lord's day, 
and upon that day the apostolic churches and Christians in all 
after ages met to worship, and observed it as the Christian 
Sabbath. 

The evidence is conclusive that the change from the seventh 
to the first day of the week took place under the administration 
of the apostles themselves, and they, being inspired by the Holy 
Spirit, it is reasonable to conclude that the Christian church is 
divinely authorized to observe the first day of the week, or the 
Lord's day, as the Christian Sabbath. 

It is impossible to estimate the blessed effect upon nations 
and individuals of observing the Sabbath, and it is not too 
much to say that the church would hardly survive the loss of 
that day. "A world without a Sabbath would be like a summer 
without a flower." It is God's own arrangement that one- 
seventh of our time be devoted to rest from manual labor. 
Then, let all Christians observe this day as a day of rest, medi- 
tation, reading of the Scriptures, prayer, and, whenever prac- 
ticable, attendance upon public worship. It is a sad fact that 
the Sabbath is but indifferently kept by many who profess to 
be the disciples of Christ. 

There is in this, and other Christian countries, a growing 
tendency to disregard the Lord's day. It is fast becoming a 
day for recreation and amusements. It is God's own day, set 
apart and sanctified by himself to be observed as a day of rest 
and sacred worship. God gives to man all the time he has, and 
it is the basest ingratitude to a benevolent Father to take the 
small portion set apart and reserved for himself and use it in 
direct opposition to his will. One of the most dangerous evils 
that threaten the welfare of the visible church of Christ is the 
wholesale disregard for the sanctity of the Sabbath day. Dr. 



TEE SABBATH 277 

Clarke says, "Without this consecrated day religion itself would 
fail, and the human mind, becoming sensualized, would soon 
forget its origin and end." Dr. McLeod says, "It is not too 
much to say that without the Sunday the church of Christ could 
not as a visible society exist on the earth." These statements 
may appear too strong, but when we consider how much the 
church depends upon this day, and how much is done on it as 
compared with any and all other days of the week, they are not 
overdrawn. 

Dr. T. L. Cuyler, whose opinion on all questions concerning 
the spiritual interests of the church of Christ is entitled to great 
respect, asks : "Have Christians no responsibility for the subtle 
growth of this new style of Sabbath f Do our pulpits emphasize 
sufficiently the tremendous truth that the Creator owns the Sab- 
bath, and that robbery of him means ruin to ourselves? Do 
most of our church-members keep the Lord's day as sacred and 
as sweet as they ought to? The very life of the church of 
Jesus Christ is intertwined with the life of the Sabbath; the 
decay of the one means slow death to the other. We are talk- 
ing about revivals ; let us pray and work and act for a revival 
of God's day/' 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

THE INTERMEDIATE STATE. 

On all questions essential to the final salvation of the soul the 
Scriptures are plain and explicit. But on other questions not 
necessarily vital the Scriptures are less explicit. There are 
questions concerning the intermediate state which may become 
vital. The idea of an intermediate probation, or an intermedi- 
ate purgatorial state, may suggest to the mind the thought that 
if not saved at the end of the first probation, salvation may be 
obtained on a second probation. In this sense it may become 
a vital question. Whatever philosophical reasons may be as- 
signed for or against this theory, everything must yield to the 
Scriptures. Our knowledge of the existence of spirit when sep- 
arated from the body is so limited that we are not safe in mak- 
ing it the basis of any theory. The Scriptures alone must guide 
us on all questions concerning the future state. 

A second probation. If the doctrine of an intermediate pro- 
bation be true, the marvel is that the Scriptures should not 
teach it in plain terms. It is of too much importance to be left 
to the mere conjecture of uninspired men. Turning to the 
Bible, we search in vain for a single text that affirms it. The 
many texts, both in the Old and the New Testament, which 
urge the necessity of improving our present probation preclude 
the idea of a second probation: "Behold, now is the acceptable 
time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (II. Cor. 6:2). 
"Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him 
while he is near" (Isa. 55: 6). "Whatsoever thy hand findeth 
to do, do it with thy might ; for there is no work, nor device,, 
nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest" 
(Eccl. 9:10). Christ's lamentations over Jerusalem (Matt. 

278 



TEE INTERMEDIATE STATE 279 

23 : 37 ; Luke 19 : 41, 42) do not favor the idea of a second pro- 
bation. "If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the 
thing3 which belong unto peace ! but now they are hid 
from thine eyes." "We must work the works of him that 
sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can 
work" (John 9:4). "To-day if ye shall hear his voice, 
harden not your hearts" (Heb. 3 : 15). "How shall we escape, 
if we neglect so great salvation?" (Heb. 2: 3.) These are but 
a few of the many texts which urge the necessity of accepting 
salvation during our present probation. There is not the slight- 
est intimation of a second probation. "Now is the accepted 
time," "Noiv is the day of salvation." "To-day if ye shall hear 
his voice." The case of the rich man and Lazarus is very clear 
proof against the idea of a second probation. (Luke 16:19, 
31.) The rich man asked that some one from the dead might 
be sent to warn his brothers, "lest they also come into this place 
of torments." If he were on a second probation, why so anxious 
about his brothers lest they should come there also ? Abraham 
said, "They have Moses and the prophets ; let them hear them." 
They have time and opportunity to be saved, and if they will 
not act upon what they have, nothing more will be done for 
them. He also said to the rich man, There is a gulf between 
us, and it is fixed, and cannot be passed over either way. 
There is not a sentence in the record of the rich man and Laz- 
arus that favors the theory of a second probation, but directly 
the reverse. 

The doctrine of a future general judgment is very clearly 
taught in the Scriptures, but nothing that would imply a second 
probation: "For we must all be made manifest before the 
judgement-seat of Christ ; that each one may receive the things 
done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be 
good or bad" (II. Cor. 5 : 10). In the many texts which teach 
most conclusively the doctrine of a future general judgment 



280 CHRISTIAN, THEOLOGY. 

there is not the slightest intimation that men will be judged and 
awarded for any other deeds than those done in the body, or 
during their present probation. 

The doctrine of a second probation involves questions which 
it would be very difficult to answer so as to harmonize with the 
teachings of the Scriptures generally: (1) What will be the 
limitation of the second probation ? The present probation ends 
at death; but the soul is immortal, and never dies, and unless 
there is a time fixed when the second probation ends, it will con- 
tinue forever. (2) Will the final judgment occur before or 
after the resurrection of the dead ? The plain teaching of the 
Scriptures is that it will be after the resurrection of the dead, 
and connected with the second coming of Christ. (3) When 
will those on second probation be judged ? (4) Do the Scrip- 
tures warrant us in the belief that there will be two final judg- 
ments ? Upon what conditions will those on second probation 
be saved? Unless God has another plan of salvation different 
from the one revealed to us in his Word, then the same measures 
employed here will have to be transferred to those on second 
probation. These questions are submitted to those who believe 
in a second probation. 

Concerning the heathen, we have no certain information. 
The Scriptures abundantly teach that God, the Eternal Father, 
will do right; that he is just and merciful, and will only re- 
quire a proper use of what is given: "And to whomsoever much 
is given, of him shall much be required" (Luke 12 : 48). "For 
if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according as a man 
hath, not according as Tie hath not" (II. Cor. 8 : 12). A heathen 
that lives according to the best light he has God may save. 
What he may do for them we do not know, but the Scriptures 
nowhere teach that they will have a second probation. We shall 
insert a paragraph from Dr. Miley, which covers the ground 
quite fully : 



THE INTERMEDIATE STATE 281 

u In the light of the Scriptures there is a distinction between 
the heathen and such as have the law of God in the form of a 
divine revelation, and between those under the Jewish economy 
and those under the Christian, as it respects the degree of guilt 
and the severity of future punishment. There is, however, no 
distinction as it respects their amenability to the same judg- 
ment for the deeds of the present life, or the determination of 
their final destiny according to the same. On these points the 
words of St Paul are most explicit. In the first place, he sets 
forth a moral responsibility under the light of nature. (Rom. 
1: 18-21.) That such is his meaning is perfectly clear in the 
passage given by reference. Then we have his declaration of 
the divine equity in the judgment and destiny of man, without 
any distinction as between Jew and Gentile. (Rom. 2: 6-11.) 
And, finally, we have these explicit words, Tor as many as 
have sinned without law shall also perish without law ; and as 
many as have sinned under law shall be judged by law : . . . 
in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men, according 
to my gospel, by Jesus Christ.' (Rom. 2:12-16.) Such is 
clearly the doctrine of St. Paul, and it is impossible to read into 
his words the meaning of a second probation for the heathen 
world." 

The purgatorial state. This is peculiar to the Roman Cath- 
olic Church, and is not to be found in the creed of any other 
denomination. It is not to be connected with the doctrine of a 
second probation, as it only provides for such as the Roman 
Church pronounces Christians. The idea seems to be that even 
the purest and best of Christians are not fit for heaven when 
they die ; that they must expiate certain offenses in purgatorial 
fire. The few texts pressed into the service in proof of a purga- 
torial state, when examined in the light of their contexts, prove 
the very opposite of what is claimed for them. The whole bear- 
ing of the sacred Scriptures is against the idea of purgatorial 



282 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

purification. If Christ died for us, and redeemed us from sin 
and hell, as the Scriptures speak, then the idea of future meri- 
torious suffering detracts from the perfection of Christ's work, 
and places merit still in the creature — a doctrine exactly oppo- 
site to the Scriptures. 

The dogma of a purgatorial state teaches that all Christians 
must finish their discipline, or sanctification, in purgatory ; and 
that by prayers, alms, and masses their sufferings may be miti- 
gated and the time shortened. Paul, in Heb. 7 : 25, says, 
"Wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost them that 
draw near unto God through him." But the dogma of purga- 
tory says he is not able to save to the uttermost; that Christians 
must reach their completeness in purgatory. Turning to I. 
John 1 : 7, we read, "And the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth 
us from all sin." And in verse 9 we read, "And to cleanse us 
from all unrighteousness." In Rev. 1 : 5, 6, we read, "Unto him 
that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood ; . . . 
to him be the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen." 
In chapter 7 : 9-14, we read of a great multitude that no man 
could number, who had "washed their robes, and made them 
white in the blood of the Lamb." Not the slightest intimation 
of purgatorial purification. 

The conscious existence of the soul between the death and 
resurrection of the body. The immortality of the soul was con- 
sidered in another chapter, so that but little need be said in this 
connection. Materialism must account for the phenomena of 
matter and mind. To assume that there is no difference be- 
tween the mental and physical man is to assume what is flatly 
contradicted by facts. That we think and reason is a fact. Are 
these properties of matter % It is a well-established fact that the 
physical organization is constantly undergoing changes, so that 
every particle of matter composing the body at one time is sup- 
planted by new particles at another time. But, notwithstanding 



THE INTERMEDIATE STATE 283 

these changes, we do not lose our self -consciousness. Dr. Milej 
says: "With such changes the continuity of self -consciousness 
would be absolutely impossible on the ground of materialism. 
Spiritual mind, ever abiding in simple unity of essence, is the 
only possible ground of such consciousness. The fact of such 
consciousness is, therefore, conclusive of a spiritual mind in 
man." 

The fact of the immortality of the soul being established, the 
question next in order is concerning its conscious existence be- 
tween the death and resurrection of the body. As stated else- 
where, we repeat that our knowledge of the existence of spirit is 
very limited. But in the clear light of the Holy Scriptures it 
would seem unreasonable that any one should be in doubt as to 
the fact. Yet there are those who claim to believe the Bible who 
believe that the soul dies with the body — that we cease to exist. 
The common Christian faith is, and always has been, that of the 
conscious existence of the soul after the death of the body. A 
few plain passages in the Bible ought to settle this question. 
We shall not quote the texts in full, but give the main thought of 
each. The Lord said to Moses, "I am the God of Abraham, the 
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Ex. 3:6). Our Lord, in 
using this scripture, says, "He is not the God of the dead, 
but of the living" (Mark 12:27). Now put these two to- 
gether and they teach plainly the conscious existence of the soul 
after the death of the body: (1) "I am the God of Abraham" — 
not "was his God," but, "I am." (2) Jesus said, "He is not the 
God of the dead, but of the living." So Abraham, Isaac, and 
Jacob must have been living at the time God spake to Moses. 
and also when our Lord quoted the words and commented upon 
them. The bodies of these men had been dead for many years, 
out Jesus said they were living — not their bodies, but their souls. 
The appearance of Moses and Elias on the Mount of Transfig- 
uration is proof positive of the conscious existence of the soul 



284 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

after the death of the body. Moses and Elias were dead, — 
Moses for hundreds of years, — yet they appeared on the mount. 
(Matt 17:3.) The rich man and Lazarus. (Luke 16:23, 
24.) No matter whether you call this a parable or an historical 
fact, the force of the argument is the same. It was a fact or 
a possible fact; it had occurred, or might occur. Our Lord 
never dealt in fiction. Both the rich man and Lazarus were 
dead, and yet they were in a state of conscious existence — the 
rich man in torments, and Lazarus in peace. How could this 
be if the soul dies with the body ? Christ's words to the thief 
(Luke 23 : 42) are further proof of the conscious existence of the 
soul after the death of the body. "To-day shalt thou be with me 
in Paradise." They were not together in the grave, but they 
were together, and the language clearly implies that they were 
in a state of conscious activity. If the soul dies with the body, 
how are we to interpret the words of Stephen (Acts 7: 55-59), 
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" ? He was full of the Holy 
Spirit, and saw heaven opened and Jesus at God's right hand. 
Was he mistaken ? Did he mean that the grave was to receive 
his spirit ? Consider Paul's words in II. Cor. 5 : 1-8, and Phil. 
1 : 21-24. To be at home in the body is to be absent from the 
Lord, but to be absent from the body is to be present with the 
Lord. He desired to depart and be with Christ, which, he says, 
"is very far better." What does he mean by departing and be- 
ing with Christ ? Can it mean anything less than the conscious 
activity of the soul after the death of the body ? In what sense 
would it be very far better to depart and be with Christ if the 
soul is unconscious and inactive? In Matt. 10: 28, our Lord 
said, "Be not afraid of them which kill the body, but are not 
able to kill the soul." If the soul has no conscious existence 
after the death of the body, then to kill the body means the death 
of the soul. 

If it were necessary, many other passages might be given, 



TEE INTERMEDIATE STATE 285 

especially from the Apocalypse, but we think a sufficient num- 
ber have been given to prove the conscious existence of the soul 
after the death of the body. There are many questions concern- 
ing the soul between the death and resurrection of the body 
which, for the present, must remain unanswered. What do 
they know about the affairs of this world % Are they interested 
in the souls of the people as the angels seem to be % The case 
of the rich man's interest in his five brothers who were still liv- 
ing is a partial answer to the question. We know but little 
about pure spirit, and as to their mode of existence nothing at 
all, only that they are in a state of conscious activity. 

An intermediate place. The question of an intermediate 
place, while it is of no practical value, has, nevertheless, en- 
gaged the attention of many learned and pious men. The al- 
most universal faith of the church general is that the souls of 
the righteous at death will go to a place of rest, and the souls 
of the wicked to a place of torment. But will that be the final 
abode of each class ? Whether it is or not, the state of each class 
will remain unchanged. The gulf is fixed, so that there can be 
no exchange or transfer. The righteous at death will enter into 
a state of endless rest, while the wicked will enter into a state 
of endless misery. 

The question may be asked as to whether an intermediate 
state does not necessarily imply a separate intermediate place ? 
We think not. Reasons may be assigned for the one which have 
no bearing upon the other. The righteous at death may go to 
the place of their final abode, and yet not at once enter into the 
full enjoyment of their heavenly state. The same may be true 
with the wicked, neither the saved nor the lost having reached 
their final stage. 

It is a general belief among Christians that "the persons of 
men continue incomplete while their souls and bodies are sep- 
arate." In the final judgment, men are to be judged and 



286 CHRISTIAN. THEOLOGY 

awarded according to things done in the body, whether it be 
good or bad. (II. Cor. 5: 10.) The judgment will not occur 
until after the resurrection of the body ; and the question natu- 
rally arises, Inasmuch as men are to be awarded according to 
the things done in the body, can they be fully awarded until 
after the soul and body are reunited ? 

The resurrection of the dead is a part of the plan of human 
redemption, and great importance is attached to it, by both 
Christ and the apostles. Paul, in Rom. 8 : 23, says, "Even we 
ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, 
to wit, the redemption of our body." The redemption of the 
body from under the power and dominion of death is not only; 
an important, but a glorious doctrine. It would hardly seem 
probable that the righteous would enter into the full enjoyment 
of their heavenly state until after the full plan of redemption 
is completed, and that will not be until their bodies are re- 
deemed from death and changed and fashioned like unto the 
glorious body of Christ. Nor will the unsaved realize the depth 
of their woe until the body is reunited with the soul. From 
such intimations as we may gather from the Scriptures, the doc- 
trine of an intermediate state seems most probable. 

Concerning an intermediate place, the Scriptures furnish 
nothing decisive. Dr. A. A. Hodge says, "Possibly in the case 
of the lost, and very probably in the case of the redeemed, the 
localities in which they are at present are not the same as those 
in which they are to dwell permanently after the final award." 
He does not claim any direct scripture proof for this view, but 
gives it as his opinion. Theological writers quite generally 
agree that the Scriptures do not give anything definite on the 
subject. There are a few texts from which inferences may be 
drawn in favor of an intermediate place, and a few others from 
which inferences against it may be drawn. 

The case of Lazarus is supposed to favor the idea of an in- 



THE INTERMEDIATE STATE 287 

termediate place. Dr. Miley says, "We can hardly think the 
bosom of Abraham to which he was taken is the true heaven 
of the good." The words of our Lord to the thief are supposed 
to favor the idea of an intermediate place. The word "para- 
dise" is not always used to signify the final home of the good. 
But wherever it was, Christ and the thief were together. It is 
supposed by some that the human soul of Christ ascended into 
the true heaven that day ; by others that he did not thus ascend 
until forty days after his resurrection, when, with his glorified 
humanity, he entered into the heaven of heavens. There is a 
passage, (John 20 : 17,) that favors this latter view. Jesus said 
to Mary, "Touch me not ; for I am not yet ascended unto the 
Father: but go unto my brethren, and say to them, I ascend 
unto my Father and your Father, and my God and your God." 
During the forty days he appeared unto his disciples eleven 
times ; then from their presence he ascended to heaven. 

Dr. Pope says, "The Xew Testament does not speak of heaven 
as entered or hell as receiving the wicked until the day of judg- 
ment." A good deal of stress is placed upon the judgment, both 
as it relates to the state and place of departed spirits. As all 
men are to be judged and awarded at that time according to the 
things done in the body, so at that time each class will be as- 
signed to their final abode. "And these shall go away into 
eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life" (Matt. 
25:46). 

There are other passages which seem to favor the idea that 
the righteous, in the event of death, go directly to the true 
heaven. The death of Stephen is supposed to favor this view. 
He saw heaven opened, and Christ at God's right hand, and as 
he expired he said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7: 
55). If this petition was answered, it would seem that he went 
directly to where Christ was. The language of Paul (II. Cor. 
5: 8, and Phil. 1: 23) favors the idea that the righteous go at 



2SS CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

once into the immediate presence of Christ. "To be absent from 
the body, and to be at home with the Lord." He desired to de- 
part and be with Christ, which "is very far better." Wherever 
Christ is there Paul desired to be. 

The Scriptures do not in so many words affirm either view, 
so that we are left to form our own opinion from such infer- 
ences as the Scriptures furnish. There are philosophical rea- 
sons which may be assigned, both for and against an inter- 
mediate place, so that we are still left in doubt. If it were es- 
sential to our eternal salvation that we should know all the mys- 
teries concerning the state and place of the soul between the 
death and resurrection of the body, God would have revealed it 
to us in his Word. What should concern us most of all is to act 
well our part during our present probation. Then all will be 
well, no matter where the soul may be during the interval be- 
tween the death and resurrection of the body. The righteous 
will have the consciousness that they are saved forever, while 
the wicked will have the consciousness that they are lost forever. 
This tremendous fact will be a source of inexpressible pleasure 
and delight to the righteous, and a source of indescribable regret 
to the wicked. Each will realize that "whatsoever a man sow- 
eth, that shall he also reap." 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD. 

The doctrine of the resurrection of the human body comes 
to us as a matter of revelation. Human reason alone cannot 
demonstrate it; neither can human reason alone refute it. 
There is nothing in the doctrine of the resurrection that is 
"repugnant to the divine nature, and nothing that involves a 
contradiction." It is in perfect harmony with our highest con- 
ception of the power, justice, and goodness of God. "There are 
considerations strongly indicating a probability of a universal 
resurrection — considerations not barely suggesting that it may 
be, but that it must be, in order to maintain the divine character 
unclouded and pure." The doctrine of future rewards and pun- 
ishments necessarily includes the resurrection of the dead. To 
establish this cardinal doctrine of Christianity, we must rely 
mainly upon the Word of God. It is a part of the great plan of 
human redemption. "Without it, the whole system would be 
incomplete. While we find many analogies in nature, we can 
only use them as we are aided by the light of revelation. There 
are silent forces in nature which produce marvelous results. If 
from observation and experience we did not know this to be true, 
we would not believe it. A grain of wheat planted in the ground 
decays, yet from this decaying body a new stock appears. We 
know this to be a fact, but we cannot comprehend how it is done. 
In nature we see many emblems of the resurrection. "What is 
winter but the death of the year ? What is spring but a resur- 
rection ?" "We see the insect tribe, living in different states 
and elements, sometimes crawling as a worm, then lying in ap- 
parent torpor, then bursting the shell, and with wings of beauty 
and activity skimming the atmosphere." "Look at the dry root 

19 289 



290 CHRISTIAN. THEOLOGY 

in the gloomy season of winter ; and, when spring comes f orth> 
you find that root bloom into a beauteous rose." Nature all 
about us is full of emblems of the resurrection. If it be said 
that all this comes to pass as the result of established laws, no 
matter, God does as it pleaseth him. For which is the easier, to- 
create a law that will produce such results, or to produce such 
results without law ? If there is in nature such laws and forces,, 
from whom but God could they have emanated \ When Paul 
stood before Agrippa, he asked him this question, "Why is it 
judged incredible with you, if God. doth raise the dead ?" (Acts. 
26 : 8.) So now, in view of all the analogies in nature, and in 
view of the fact that God created the heaven and the earth, and 
sustains all things by his power, why should it be judged in- 
credible that he should raise the dead ? Dr. McKnight says, 
"Having such examples of the divine power before our eyes, we 
cannot think the reproduction of the body impossible, though its 
parts be utterly dissipated." We know that disorganized matter 
may be reorganized into other forms and live under new condi- 
tions. The grub will live for a time and feed upon the most 
ordinary kind of food, then wind itself up in a shroud and re- 
main in that state for days and weeks ; then it will come forth 
a beautiful winged creature sporting in the sunlight, "and sip- 
ping nectar as from the hand of God." So with man, he lives 
and moves for a time, then falls asleep. Is there anything in- 
credible that God in his own good time should awake him from 
his slumbers and send him forth to live under new conditions 
and with different environment ? But we turn now to the Holy 
Scriptures. 

1. We will give a few passages from the Old Testament 
Scriptures : "But I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he 
shall stand up at the last upon the earth : and after my skin hath 
been thus destroyed, yet from my flesh shall I see God : whom 
I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not an- 



TEE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD 291 

other" (Job 19 : 25-27). "Thy dead shall live; my dead bodies 
shall arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust : for thy 
dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth the 
dead" (Isa. 26: 19). "I will ransom them from the power of 
the grave ; I will redeem them from death : O death, where are 
thy plagues ? O grave, where is thy destruction I" (Hosea 13 : 
14.) 

Is it probable that honest, intelligent men would use such lan- 
guage if they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead ? 
According to what rule of language can these passages be in- 
terpreted if we set aside the doctrine of the resurrection ? What 
did they intend to teach ? There are many other passages in the 
Old Testament just as plain and direct as those we have given. 
And yet some men will say that the Old Testament saints 
neither taught nor believed in the resurrection of the dead. 

2. We turn now to the !N"ew Testament. In the first place, 
it may be well to note two important facts: First, "material 
bodies, in connection with the soul, have been transmitted to 
heaven" — Enoch and Elijah. Second, resurrections did occur 
in the days of Christ — the daughter of Jairus, the son of the 
widow of Nain, and Lazarus. All these persons were literally 
dead, and literally raised from the dead. Add to this the fact 
of Christ's own resurrection, and you have more than mere pre- 
sumptive evidence of a general resurrection. 

But we turn to the direct testimony of the sacred writers: 
"On that day there came to him Sadducees, which say that there 
is no resurrection : and they asked him saying, Master, Moses 
said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry 
his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were 
with us seven brethren : and the first married and deceased, and 
having no seed left his wife unto his brother : in like manner the 
second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And after them 
all the woman died. In the resurrection therefore whose wife 



292 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

shall she be of the seven ? for they all had her. But Jesus an- 
swered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scrip- 
tures, nor the power of God. Eor in the resurrection they 
neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as angels in 
heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye 
not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am 
the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of 
Jacob ? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living" 
(Matt. 22:23-32). 

The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body, 
neither in angels nor spirits. They were materialists. Our 
Lord, in answering them, taught the immortality of the soul and 
the existence of angels. But the question and answer related 
more particularly to the resurrection. Christ points out clearly 
their error caused by their ignorance of the Scriptures. The 
plain teaching is, that if they knew the Scriptures, and the 
power of God, they would have no question concerning the 
resurrection of the dead. He also answers their question di- 
rect by declaring that in the resurrection the woman would 
be the wife of none of the seven brothers. In the resur- 
rection men and women shall be like unto the angels of 
God — immortal. The relation of husband and wife was or- 
dained of God for this life ; it will not be continued in the world 
to come. If there were not another passage in the Bible on the 
doctrine of the resurrection, this one alone would be sufficieat: 
"But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, 
and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Brethren, I 
am a Pharisee, a son of a Pharisee: touching the hope and 
resurrection of the dead I am called in question. And when he 
had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and 
Sadducees : and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees 
say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit : but 
the Pharisees confess both" (Acts 23 : 6-8). It was concerning 



THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD 293 

the doctrine of the resurrection that Paul was called in ques- 
tion. If he did not believe in, nor teach the doctrine of the 
resurrection, for what was he called in question ? Why did he 
say, "I am a Pharisee" ? The Pharisees believed the doctrine, 
but the Sadducees did not. If Paul did not believe it, why did 
he not say, "I am a Saddueee" ? This text is proof positive that 
Paul believed and taught the doctrine of the resurrection. "Why 
is it judged incredible with you [Agrippa] that God doth raise 
the dead V 9 (Acts 26 : 8.) 'Now add to this the words of Jesus, 
"Marvel not at this : for the hour cometh, in which all that are 
in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they 
that have done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that 
have done ill, unto the resurrection of judgment" (John 5: 28, 
29). If neither Christ nor Paul believed in the resurrection of 
the body, is it not wonderfully strange that they should have 
used the language they did ? In what words could they have 
taught the doctrine more directly ? "For our citizenship is in 
heaven; from whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord 
Jesus Christ : who shall fashion anew the body of our humilia- 
tion, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory" (Phil. 
3: 20, 21). Here the apostle affirms that the Lord Jesus shall 
change and fashion our vile bodies, so as to be like his glorious 
body — like the body of Christ after his resurrection. 

We will here add, without comment, a few plain texts: "And 
I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the 
throne. . . . And the sea gave up the dead which were in 
it ; and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them" 
(Rev. 20: 12, 13). "For the Lord himself shall descend from 
heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, . . . 
and the dead in Christ shall rise first" (I. Thes. 4 : 16) . "Hav- 
ing hope toward God, which these also themselves look for, that 
there shall be a resurrection both of the just and unjust" (Acts 
24:15). 



294 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

But the master argument in favor of the resurrection of the 
human body may be found in the fifteenth chapter of First 
Corinthians. Nowhere is it so fully set forth as it is in this 
chapter. It is too long to quote in full in this connection, 
but the reader would do well to turn to it and read every word 
of it. The apostle not only affirms the fact of the resurrection 
of the dead, but describes the nature of the resurrection body. 

Paul lays down the basis, or foundation, upon which the hope 
of the resurrection rests. Jesus died, was buried, and rose 
again. He gives the evidences of Christ's resurrection in a 
manner that could not be gainsaid. He was seen of "above five 
hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain 
until now." That would have been a bold assertion if it 
were not true. The fact that the greater part of these witnesses 
to whom the apostle referred were still living would have made 
it an easy matter to disprove his statement if it were not true. 
But Paul knew whereof he affirmed. 

Next in order, he affirms the resurrection of the dead, based 
upon the fact of Christ's resurrection (vs. 16, 20). "If the 
dead are not raised, neither hath Christ been raised." "But 
now hath Christ been raised from the dead." As sure as Christ 
is risen the dead shall be raised. The resurrection of the dead 
is so connected with the resurrection of Christ that the latter 
is at once the pledge and sample of the former. 

Having established the fact of Christ's resurrection, and the 
resurrection of the dead as the result of it, he proceeds to de- 
scribe the nature of the resurrection body. He does not inti- 
mate that it will be a new creature, but a resurrection — a revival 
from the dead. Stupendous as the change will be, it is never- 
theless a literal resurrection; not the creation of a new body, 
but the raising up of the body in which we die. "It is sown in 
corruption; it is raised in incorruption : . . . it is sown 
a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body." Because the 



TEE RESURRECTION OF TEE DEAD 295 

body will be thus changed, we are not to lose sight of the fact 
that it will still be a body. "It is sown a natural body; it is 
raised a spiritual body/' Dr. Miley says: "The terms 'nat- 
ural body' and 'spiritual body' mean simply different states, not 
any distinction of essence. In a word, the resurrection is a 
transformation, not a transubstantiation." This corruptible 
body is not fitted for the heavenly state, hence the necessity for 
a change. In Phil. 3: 21, Paul says, "Who shall fashion anew 
the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the 
body of his glory." Having "borne the image of the earthy, we 
shall also bear the image of the heavenly." "We shall be like 
him ; for we shall see him even as he is." 

3. Identity. It is not assumed by identity that every par- 
ticle of the body that dies will be raised up. But it is assumed 
that the resurrection body will be composed of the same material, 
greatly changed, that belonged to the body that died. Wonder- 
ful as the change may be, there will still remain a sameness. 
"So much of the buried dust of humanity will be recalled and 
vitalized as will be necessary to preserve the identity and reality 
of the man." When Christ showed himself to his disciples, he 
appeared in the same body that lay in the tomb. It is taught 
that when Christ comes, the living will be changed, and the dead 
will be raised up. Observe particularly that it is the body, 
which is "sown in weakness," that is to be "raised in power." It 
is the body, that "is sown in corruption," that is to be "raised 
in incorruption." It is the body, which is "sown a natural 
body," that is to be "raised a spiritual body." Paul teaches that 
the resurrection power will change our vile bodies, and fashion 
them like unto Christ's glorious body. All these scriptures 
teach the idea of sameness, or identity. If another body is 
formed, then it would be a new creation, and not a resurrection. 
The Scriptures expressly teach the doctrine of a resurrection. 

4. The resurrection body will be spiritual and fashioned like 



296 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

unto Christ's glorious body. Because the body is to be spiritual, 
we must not lose sight of the fact that it will be a body still, 
partaking of the nature of spirit. It will be visible, tangible, 
real. Great and wonderful as this change from the natural to 
the spiritual body will be, it will not destroy the identity. Each 
will know from his own consciousness that he is himself, and 
not another. "The evidence of 'personal identity, or sameness, 
of a rational being is self-consciousness" Dr. Miley says; 
"When we say that the body in which we die shall be the subject 
of the resurrection, we mean in the sense of a proper identity, 
not in that of an absolute identity. The Scriptures do not af- 
firm a resurrection in the latter sense; nor can we affirm the 
necessity of every atom to the constitution of the resurrection 
body." 

Great, and sometimes rapid changes take place in our bodies, 
but we do not lose our identity. A man at fifty is conscious that 
he is the same man he was twenty-five years before. But he is 
not conscious that the same particles of matter remain in his 
body. Indeed, he is well satisfied that the same particles do not 
remain ; yet he is conscious that he is the same man. Conscious 
identity is an act of the mind. Sir William Hamilton says, 
"Identity is a relation between our cognitions of a thing, not 
between things themselves." Mr. Locke says: "Every one is 
to himself what he calls self, without considering whether that 
self be continued in the same or diverse substances. It was by 
the same self which reflected on an action done many years ago 
that the action was performed." "The personal identity, or 
sameness, of a rational being is self -consciousness." 

The mind recognizes the body as its own, but it does not recog- 
nize the different particles that belong to it as the same that be- 
longed to it ten or twenty years ago. So in the resurrection, the 
mind will recognize the body as its own body, not by recognizing 
the different particles in the immortal body as the same that 



THE MESURRECTION OF THE DEAD 297 

belonged to it during its earthly existence. There will be a 
sameness in appearance, as there is a sameness in the appear- 
ance of the mortal body, notwithstanding the changes which are 
continually going on. 

5. The resurrection will be universal and sudden. "All that 
are in the tombs . . . shall come forth." "The dead, the 
great and the small, standing before the throne." "There shall 
be a resurrection both of the just and unjust." "We must all 
be made manifest before the judgement-seat of Christ." Tre- 
mendous day, day of days, when, "in a moment, in the twinkling 
of an eye," the dead shall be raised and the living changed. 
Prom sea and land, and from the uttermost parts of the earth, 
they shall come forth — millions multiplied by millions. The 
king, from under the shadoAV of a costly monument, will come 
forth in the same moment with the beggar from his grave of 
obscurity. From a thousand battle-fields whole armies will 
come forth. "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye," all 
this will occur. Who is capable of understanding, much less 
describing such a scene ? But every eye shall see it. 

6. The time when the resurrection shall occur, we do not 
know. The Scriptures inform us that it will be at the end of 
the world, and connected with the second and final coming of 
Christ. 

Whatever philosophical or metaphysical objections may be 
urged against the doctrine of the resurrection of the human 
body, it is nevertheless a glorious doctrine. Compared with the 
eternal sleep of the dead, it is like high noonday to midnight. 
Who wants to cease to be ? Who wants to sleep forever and ever 
in the grave ? Sin has made sad havoc with our bodies ; never- 
theless we love them, for they have served us well during the pil- 
grimage of life. !Now, the thought that they shall be refash- 
ioned, with every imperfection removed, and made in appear- 
ance like unto the glorious body of Christ, is no mean hope to 
cherish. 



298 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

We shall close this brief review of the doctrine of the resur- 
rection by a quotation from Chrysostom. He says : "When we 
pluck down a house, with intent to rebuild it or repair the ruins 
of it, we warn the inhabitants out of it, lest they should be soiled 
wdth the dust and rubbish, or offended with the noise, and so for 
a time provide some other place for them ; but, when we have 
newly trimmed and dressed up the house, then we bring them 
back to a better habitation. Thus God, when he overturneth 
this rotten room of our flesh, calleth out the soul for a little time, 
and lodgeth it with himself in some corner of his kingdom, re- 
paireth the imperfections of our bodies against the resurrection, 
and then having made them beautiful, yea, glorious and incor- 
ruptible, he doth put our souls back again into their acquainted 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

FUTURE GENERAL JUDGMENT. 

The Scriptures abundantly teach, and reason and justice 
demand, a future general judgment. God is eternally just, and 
will, in the end, see that even justice is meted out to every intel- 
ligent being in the universe. Men, in this life, do not always 
receive equal justice. The innocent often suffer, while the 
guilty go free. God has said, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that 
shall he also reap," and that every one shall "receive the things 
done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be 
good or bad." 

Man is a free moral agent, with power to do right or wrong. 
This life is a probation. Both of these facts imply personal 
responsibility, and personal responsibility implies a future 
reckoning, or settlement. In all the range of human thought 
there is nothing more in harmony with our highest conceptions 
of justice than that a free moral, intelligent agent should reap 
what he sows. A future general judgment means that, and 
nothing more. 

I. We call attention to a few passages that plainly teach the 
fact of a general judgment : "Our God shall come, and shall 
not keep silence : a fire shall devour before him. . . . He 
shall call to the heavens above, and to the earth, that he may 
judge his people" (Ps. 50: 3, 4). "For God shall bring every 
work into judgement, with every hidden thing, whether it be 
good or whether it be evil" (Eccl. 12: 14). "Inasmuch as he 
hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in 
righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained" (Acts 17: 
31). "And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, 

299 



300 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

and after this cometh judgement" (Heb. 9:27). "For we 
shall all stand before the judgement-seat of God" (Rom. 14: 
10). "For we must all be made manifest before the judgement- 
seat of Christ" (II. Cor. 5: 10). "And I saw the dead, the 
great and the small, standing before the throne ; and books were 
opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of 
life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were 
written in the books, according to their works" (Rev. 20: 12). 

These passages, if they mean anything at all, clearly teach 
three things: (1) A future general judgment. (2) A fixed 
time. "He hath appointed a day/' "The day of judgement." 
"The last day." "The judgement of the great day." (3) This 
great and terrible day is yet in the future. "We must all be 
made manifest before the judgement-seat of Christ." 

II. We will give a few texts which relate to the time when, 
all shall appear "before the judgement-seat of Christ." The 
day and hour knoweth no man. God alone knoweth. From 
the Scriptures, however, we learn two things: (1) The judg- 
ment will occur at the end of the Christian dispensation. (2) It 
will be in connection with the second coming of Christ. "But 
when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels 
with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory : and before 
him shall be gathered all the nations" (Matt. 25 : 31, 32). "At 
the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of 
his power in naming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know 
not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus : 
who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the 
face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he shall 
come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all 
them that believe" (II. Thes. 1:7-10). 

These passages connect the judgment with the second coming 
of Christ. All evangelical Christians believe in the future com- 
ing of Christ, and when he does come, all nations will be 



FUTURE GENERAL JUDGMENT 301 

gathered before him, and at that time he will judge the world. 

III. The judgment yet in the future and after death. 
We desire to make these two points clear, because some men 
teach that men are being judged every day, and that there will 
be no judgment after death. The Word of God must settle these 
points. Let him that readeth take earnest heed : "It shall be 
more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day 
of judgement, than for that city" (Matt. 10 : 15). "And thou, 
Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven ? thou shalt go 
down unto Hades: for if the mighty works had been done in 
Sodom which were done in thee, it would have remained until 
this day. Howbeit I say unto you, that it shall be more toler- 
able for the land of Sodom in the day of judgement than for 
thee" (Matt. 11: 23, 24). "The queen of the south shall rise 
up in the judgement with the men of this generation, and shall 
condemn them : . . . the men of Xineveh shall stand up in 
the judgement with this generation, and shall condemn it" (Luke 
11 : 31, 32). These texts are clear and direct. They teach em- 
phatically that the final judgment is yet in the future. Mark 
the language. Christ does not say that it was, or now is, more 
tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, but he 
says it shall be, thus clearly putting the day of judgment in the 
future. He also says, "The queen of the south . . . and 
the men of Nineveh shall stand up in judgement with this gen- 
eration' — those then living. The men of Nineveh of whom 
Christ was speaking lived more than eight hundred years prior 
to the time this declaration was made. If men are being judged 
every day, how are we to interpret our Saviour's language % 

The Scriptures not only speak of the judgment of former 
generations as yet in the future, but also fix the time as after 
death: "And he charged us to preach unto the people, and to 
testify that this is he which is ordained of God to be the Judge 
of quick and dead" (Acts 10: 42). "I charge thee in the sight 



302 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

of God, and of Christ Jesus, who shall judge the quick and the 
dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom" (II. Tim. 4: 1). 
"Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick 
and the dead" (I. Pet. 4:5). "And inasmuch as it is appointed 
unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgement" (Heb. 
9 : 27). "And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing 
before the throne ; and books were opened : and another book 
was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were 
judged out of the things which were written in the books, ac- 
cording to their works" (Rev. 20: 12, 13). If men are finally 
judged during their lives on earth, how are we to interpret the 
apostle's language ? Christ is to judge the quick and dead; that 
is, those who shall be alive at his coming, and those who shall 
be dead. "We shall not all sleep," the apostle says. The 
living shall be changed, and the dead raised. We must all ap- 
pear before him in that day, the last day, the great day; all, 
great and small; former generations, as well as the generation 
that will be living at the time of his coming. "It is appointed 
unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgement." 

IV. We shall consider some of the events immediately con- 
nected with this great and terrible day of the Lord : 

1. Christ, who is to be the judge, shall come in person: 
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, 
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God" 
(I. Thes. 4: 16). "At the revelation of the Lord Jesus from 
heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire" (II. Thes. 
1:7, 8). "Behold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye 
shall see him, and they which pierced him ; and all the tribes 
of the earth shall mourn over him. Even so, Amen" (Rev., 
1:7). He shall come in "the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14 : 62). 
"He comes now; not c a babe in Bethlehem/ not to weep over 
Jerusalem ; not to suffer hunger and toil and weariness ; but, 
seated upon a throne of glory, to sway his judicial scepter over 



FUTURE GENERAL JUDGMENT 303 

men and devils." He comes "to be glorified in his saints, and to 
be marvelled at in all them that believed" (II. Thes. 1: 10). 

2. Connected with his coming will be the resurrection of the 
dead : "All that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall 
come forth" (John 5: 28, 29). "For the trumpet shall sound, 
and the dead shall be raised" (I. Cor. 15 : 52). That will be a 
great and terrible day of the Lord — the Lord descending on 
his great white throne, with all his holy angels around him, 
the trumpet sounding, the graves opening, the dead coming 
forth from sea and land ; the sun, moon, and stars dimmed by 
the brightness of his coming. In a moment, in the twinkling of 
an eye, the dead shall be raised, and the living shall be changed. 
All will hear the call, and obey. All the generations of the 
past ; millions multiplied by millions. We shall all be there. 

V. The final result of this great and terrible day. 

1. Every man shall receive according to what he has done* 
As we sow, so shall we reap. This life is seed-time ; that will 
be the harvest. The Judge will render to every man according 
to his works. 

2. There will be a separation. Here the wheat and tares 
grow together in the same field, but it will not always be so. 
When the harvest comes, there will be a separation. This is a 
solemn, awful truth. Let us turn to the Word of God for a 
description of this event : "And before him shall be gathered 
all the nations : and he shall separate them one from another, 
as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats" (Matt. 25 : 
32). In the thirty-fourth verse we have the address of the 
Judge to those on his right hand, "Come, ye blessed of my 
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the found?- 
tion of the world." Then, in verse forty-one, we have his ad- 
dress to those on the left hand, "Depart from me, ye cursed, 
into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his 
angels." In verse forty-six, we have the final words of the 



304 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

Judge concerning the good and bad, "And these shall go away 
into eternal punishment : but the righteous into eternal life." 

3. With the judgment comes the end of the world. The lit- 
eral heavens and earth, as they now exist, will pass away. "The 
elements shall melt with fervent heat." If they exist at all 
after the judgment, it will be in vastly different forms. "Thou, 
Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, 
and the heavens are the works of thy hands : they shall perish ; 
but thou continuest : and they all shall wax old as doth a gar- 
ment ; and as a mantle shalt thou roll them up. As a garment, 
and they shall be changed" (Heb. 1: 10-12). 

It is not claimed that the material universe, or any part of it, 
will be annihilated ; but the earth, and the elements around it, 
will cease to exist in their present form. "But the heavens that 
now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up 
for fire, being reserved against the day of judgement and de- 
struction of ungodly men. . . . But the day of the Lord will 
come as a thief ; in the which the heavens shall pass away with 
a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent 
heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be 
burned up, . . . looking for and earnestly desiring the coming 
of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire 
shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent 
heat" (II. Pet. 3: 7-12). "And I saw a great white throne, 
and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the 
heaven fled away ; and there was found no place for them. And 
I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the 
throne ; and books were opened : and another book was opened, 
which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out 
of the things which were written in the books, according to 
their works" (Eev. 20: 11, 12). The Scriptures make it very 
plain that the judgment will occur at the end of the world. 
They als» teach that the earth and the elements will be very 



FUTURE GENERAL JUDGMENT 305 

materially changed. The probation of man will be ended, so 
that the earth and elements in their present form will have 
subserved their purposes. What the condition of the earth and 
the elements about it will be after that great and notable day of 
the Lord, we do not know. That, with many other like ques- 
tions, we leave with Him who "worketh all things after the 
counsel of his will." 

In grandeur, magnitude, and solemnity, the judgment of the 
last day will surpass all other in the history of all the ages. In 
the day, or days, of creation, when worlds and systems of worlds 
were formed and took their places in the universe, multiplied 
legions of angels looked on with wonder and admiration. At 
the judgment of the great day, all the angels of God will be 
present, together with all the people of the earth. Who can 
form any just conception of the vastness of that assembly? 
Poets and theologians have tried to describe it so as to bring it 
within the comprehension of the human mind, but the presump- 
tion is that they have scarcely approximated the reality. In 
all that vast company there will not be one idle spectator. Of 
the human race, each will realize that his eternal destiny rests 
upon the decision of that hour ; and whatever it may be, it will 
be just and righteous altogether. "The judge of all the earth 
will do right." 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

FUTURE STATE OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 

All we know, or can know with certainty, concerning the 
future state of the righteous, we learn from the Scriptures. It 
comes to us as a matter of divine revelation. The wisest men 
of all past ages could tell us nothing definite about it. The 
philosophers and poets had some idea of a future state, but 
nothing clear and well defined. To many of them it seemed 
most reasonable to believe that something remained for man 
after this life, but they could not affirm it. Xo sadder thought 
could fill the human mind than that of going out of this world 
so soon and nothing beyond to hope for. There is something 
within, whether mortal or immortal, that does not, and cannot, 
accept with pleasure the thought of ceasing to be. There are 
longings and aspirations which cling to the mind that the theory 
of annihilation can never satisfy. But, turning from these 
gloomy reflections to the sacred Scriptures, we find something 
that fully meets and satisfies the highest and noblest aspirations 
of that something within which we call soul. In this blessed 
Book we find no wild theories, no cheerless "ifs," but a clear 
and distinct statement that there is life, eternal life, beyond this 
world. 

Heaven is a place. Some hold the opinion that heaven is a 
kind of aerial state, without any locality — everywhere in gen- 
eral and nowhere in particular. But this is contrary to all the 
representations in the Word of God. The saints in their resur- 
rected state will have visible, tangible, material bodies. Their 
bodies will be spiritual ; that is, partake of the nature of spirit, 
but they will be bodies nevertheless. Heaven is not a mere 
idea — not an indefinable state, but a grand, glorious, material 



FUTURE STATE OF TEE RIGHTEOUS 307 

place. The notion that the saints of God will go floating in the 
vast universe of God, without any local habitation, is not so 
much as hinted at in the Bible. When we speak of heaven as 
a material place, and of the resurrection body as a material 
body, we do not mean material in the sense of mortal, or cor- 
ruptible, but as being a real entity, or essence. Because heaven 
is a spiritual place, and the resurrection body a spiritual body, 
we are not thence to conclude that they are pure spirit, but par- 
take of the nature of spirit — incorruptible, imperishable. But 
the Scriptures must settle this question for us: "In my Fa- 
ther's house are many mansions. . . . I go to prepare a 
place for you. ... I will come again, and will receive 
you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" 
(John 14 : 2, 3). "Father s house" and "place" suggest the idea 
of locality. Christ would not have used such terms if he had 
intended to describe only a state. Then, again, he says that he 
will come and receive them to himself, that where he is, they 
may be also. Every word implies location. 

Heaven is called "Paradise," a "city," a "country," and an 
"inheritance." Christ came down from heaven, and ascended 
to heaven. He has "passed through the heavens" (Heb. 4: 14). 
He is set "on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in th© 
heavens" (Heb. 8:1). Just before Stephen expired, he ex^ 
claimed, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man 
standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7: 56). All these 
declarations in the Scriptures suggest the idea of location. 
John, from Patmos, saw into heaven. He saw the angels, the 
throne, the city, the streets, the rivers, the tree of life, and the 
sea of glass. If heaven is not a place, local and tangible, then 
all the representations of it are nothing but misrepresentations. 
Consulting our own thoughts and aspirations, we look for "a 
house," a home, a heavenly, paternal home, a peopled residence, 
a real habitation, where we shall know one another, and be with 



&08 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

one another upon terms of the most intimate friendship and the 
dearest fellowship. 

2. But heaven is not only a place, visible and local, but 
a state as well. Because it is a place does not destroy the idea 
of state. When we speak in relation to heaven, the idea of place 
and state are both included. A place without a state fitted for 
it would be no better than a state without a suitable place. But 
when we connect the two, we have a glorious habitation, with a 
proper moral and spiritual fitness for it. 

3. Heaven is a place of happiness. All the external and 
internal conditions of the place are such as to produce un- 
mingled delight. No sin will be there. The place, and all the 
inhabitants, will be pure. No want, no sickness, no pain, no 
sorrow, no anxiety, no tears, no death, and no parting. One of 
the most beautiful and suggestive negative descriptions of 
heaven is in these words, "There shall be no night there" (Rev. 
21:25). No literal night; no night of sorrow or disappoint- 
ments — one long, bright, cloudless day. 

4. The associations in heaven will add much to the pleasure 
and enjoyment of the inhabitants. Here the wheat and tares 
grow side by side, often in the same family. The pure and 
good, while on earth, are compelled to see and hear much that 
annoys. Profane and corrupt language greets their ears on al- 
most every corner. But in heaven all will be pure. Love will 
reign supreme. Every word, act, thought, and look will be 
mingled with love. Nothing unholy or unclean shall ever enter 
there. 

The saints of all the ages and the angels will be "familiar 
companions." This thought should inspire us with holy zeal 
in the Master's cause. "But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and 
unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to 
innumerable hosts of angels, to the general assembly and church 
of the first born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the 



FUTURE STATE OF TEE RIGHTEOUS 309 

Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect" (Heb. 
12: 22, 23). What a company there will be in heaven. Every 
being pure and loving. The saints, all immortal, clothed in 
stainless robes ; the angels in their bright and glorious forms — 
all in the most perfect harmony, all of one mind. 

5. Another source of happiness will be the assurance that 
this state of bliss is to last forever. Here we may be happy for 
a day, but how soon it is gone. At most it can only continue for 
a short while. In the midst of life we are in death. Our dear- 
est ones are torn from us, and thus between joys and griefs we 
make up the measure of our time on earth. But when we are 
safe in heaven, the conflict of life on earth is over, and now we 
shall have life forever more. Every saint will know that he is 
to remain there forever. A garden of fruits and flowers, on 
which our spiritual nature and gracious tastes will be regaled 
through an ever-verdant spring and golden summer; a para- 
dise, where lurks no serpent to destroy, and where fruits and 
flowers shall never fade and droop and die — this is home, this 
is Father's house. 

Dr. Guthrie describes it thus: "A city never built with 
hands, nor hoary with the years of time ; a city whose inhabit- 
ants no census has numbered; a city through whose street 
rushes no tide of business, nor nodding hearse creeps slowly 
with its burden to the tomb ; a city without griefs or graves or 
burials, without marriages or mournings ; a city which glories 
in having Jesus for its king, angels for its guards, saints for its 
citizens ; whose walls are salvation, and whose gates are praise." 

6. The employment will be delightful. If heaven is, and 
is to be, a place of happiness, then it must be a place of activity. 
There will be something to do. But whatever the nature of 
that employment may be, it will be without pain, anxiety, or 
any sense of weariness. Adoration and praise will be among 
ithe important exercises. When John was permitted to see into 



S10 CHRISTIAN. THEOLOGY 

the city, he heard some part of the service of the heavenly host. 
"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, which was 
and which is." He heard the angels which were about the 
throne sing, and their number was "ten thousand times ten 
thousand, and thousands of thousands." Then he heard "the 
voice of harpers harping with their harps." The saints will 
join with this innumerable company in the adoration and praise 
around the throne. 

Jesus said to the Father, "That which thou hast given me, I 
will that, where I am, they also may be with me ; that they may 
behold my glory." This will be most delightful employment. 
Now we see through a glass, darkly ; then we shall see as we are 
seen. The saints will see his glory in creation, providence, and 
redemption. Worlds, and systems of worlds, will pass in review 
before the vision of the saints like a grand panorama, and they 
will exultingly exclaim, "Great and marvellous are thy works, 
O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are thy ways, 
thou King of the ages." 

There will be an endless variety of pleasures. It may be that 
saints and angels will visit other worlds. None can tell how 
vast the universe is. There may be millions of worlds that the 
astronomers know nothing about. Many of those may be in- 
habited, and there may be errands of mercy and love to per- 
form. But whatever it is, it will be most delightful. The great 
center of all their delight will be the presence of the Lord Jesus. 

The question is sometimes asked, Where is heaven % If it is 
a place, it must be located somewhere. The Scriptures do not 
inform us concerning the location of that "better country." A 
most reasonable conclusion would be that it is the "center and 
metropolis of the universe, in which the omnipotent Deity af- 
fords a nearer and more immediate view of his perfections and 
glory." One thing is very clearly expressed in the Word of God, 
which is that heaven is far away from the earth. Christ "as- 



FUTURE STATE OF THE RIGHTEOUS 311 

cended far above all the heavens" ; that is, above the visible 
heavens; far above moon and sun — beyond the most distant 
star seen by the astronomer. This would indicate that heaven 
is up and distant from this world. "There, amid surrounding 
worlds and systems, the great Creator of all sits upon his throne, 
'high and lifted up. 7 " 

Another question has often been proposed, namely, Will the 
saints in heaven know each other 1 It certainly seems most rea- 
sonable to conclude that they will. The saints will take with 
them their conscious identity. Each saint will know that he is 
himself. It would be about as reasonable to suppose that they 
will not know themselves as that they will not know each other. 
But Paul says that we shall know as we are known. Peter, 
James, and John knew Moses and Elias when they appeared, on 
the mount. Heaven is and will be a place of social enjoyment. 
But if we may not know each other, much of the social enjoy- 
ment will be withheld. We do well to think of heaven as a 
glorious reality. Loved ones are already there, and are no less 
intelligent than when they were here. Memory, being a faculty 
of the soul, will not be destroyed by death. Free from mor- 
tality, the powers of the mind will act more freely than while 
on earth. Knowledge will be increased, not diminished. If in 
this time-haze we can know each other, surely we shall not know 
less when the dust and mist of life on earth have passed away. 
Shall that heaven, so pure and bright, be our eternal home ? 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

FUTURE STATE OF THE WICKED. 

Our knowledge concerning the future destiny of the unre— 
generate is derived from the language used in the sacred Scrip- 
tures. The solemn truth taught is that those who reject Christy 
and live and die in sin, will be separated from God and the 
glory of his power forever. Many learned men have tried to 
explain this away, but, in spite of all their efforts, the solemn 
fact remains, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also 
reap." This is no more than simple justice. This is a life of 
probation, and eternal consequences will follow. "He that sow- 
eth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but 
he that soweth unto the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap eternal 
life." "Say ye of the righteous, that it shall be well with him: 
for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the 
wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands 
shall be given him" (Isa. 3: 10, 11). Every candid man must 
admit that the principle laid down in these scriptures is eter- 
nally just. Every one shall receive according to his works. 

Before introducing any direct testimony from the Scriptures 
concerning the future destiny of the wicked, we think proper to- 
state: (1) The second coming of Christ is yet future. (2) 
There will be a manifest distinction of character in the resur- 
rection. (3) There will be a future general judgment. (4) 
The righteous and the wicked will be separated at the time of 
the judgment. These four facts are clearly set forth in the 
Word of God. Men may theorize and philosophize upon the 
love, mercy, goodness, and forbearance of God until they make 
themselves believe that God is too good and merciful to punish 
sin forever and ever. But human theories do not change the 

312 



FUTURE STATE OF TEE WICKED 31& 

facts of Scripture. That God is good and merciful the Scrip- 
tures abundantly teach, but no more abundantly than they teach 
that he is eternally holy and just. God is omnipotent, but he 
only exercises this power in harmony with every other attribute 
and perfection of his nature. If men would consider how ex- 
ceedingly hateful sin must be in the eyes of an infinitely pure 
being, they would see a reason for the doctrine of future endless 
separation from God. If men would consider the price paid 
for the recovery of man from the dire effects of sin, and then 
see men deliberately turn away and refuse the offer of salvation, 
they would see another reason for the doctrine of future endless 
punishment. Dr. Clarke, in his comment on John 3:16, says, 
"Sin must be an indescribable evil when it required no less a 
sacrifice to make an atonement for it than God manifest in the 
flesh." There is but one remedy for sin, and that is "repent- 
ance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ." If this 
is refused, or neglected, what must be the consequences ? If it 
be said that eternal punishment is too great a penalty to be at- 
tached to a short life of sin, we might, with equal propriety, 
say that eternal life is too great a reward to be attached to a 
short life of faith and obedience. But such are the conditions 
upon which eternal things rest. Man is a free moral agent, 
life and death are set before him, and upon his own choice 
hangs his eternal destiny. 

I. The main point to be established now is that "the punish- 
ment of the wicked in the future world will be endless." The 
terms employed by the sacred writers in relation to the future 
endless punishment of the wicked are just as strong and direct 
as can be found in the use of words. Furthermore, the Scrip- 
tures do not furnish any evidence that sinners will be saved 
from sin after death, but they do teach, in unmistakable terms, 
that their punishment will be as endless as the happiness of the 
righteous. It is very generally admitted that some men die in. 



314 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

unbelief and sin ;' and there is not a single text in the Bible that 
teaches that any man will come to Christ after death. But the 
Word of God must settle this question. We can give but a few 
of the many passages bearing on this subject: "For God so 
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that who- 
soever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life" 
(John 3 : 16). Some men do not believe in Christ; therefore, 
they shall not have this eternal life. The word * 'perish" is the 
antithesis of "eternal life." If those who believe in Christ are 
to receive eternal life, what will those who do not believe in 
Christ receive ? They shall "perish" or, as our Lord elsewhere 
says, "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins : 
for except ye believe that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" 
(John 8 : 24). Then, in verse 21, he emphatically declares that 
those who die in their sins cannot come where he is. Christians 
have always understood that the eternal life promised by the 
Saviour to those who should believe in him means endless life. 
Now, as the word "perish" is the antithesis of this eternal, or 
endless life, it cannot mean less than endless death. "And these 
shall go away into eternal punishment : but the righteous into 
eternal life" (Matt. 25:46). In this text the word "eternal" 
qualifies the punishment of the wicked, and also qualifies the 
life of the righteous. If we limit the meaning of the word in 
one case, we must, for the very same reason, limit it in the other. 

The primary meaning of the word alavtov from which the 
term "eternal" is translated is endless. The learned lexicog- 
rapher, Bretschneider, defines it to mean, "That which is al- 
ways, forever" Schrevelius defines it, "eternal." Grover de- 
fines it, "eternal, immortal, perpetual." Donagon, Greenfield, 
Liddell, and Scott give it the same meaning. 

The word ai&vio^ was uniformly used in the New Testament, 
when the sacred writers wished to express endless duration. 
Take a few passages where the word occurs : "What good thing 



FUTURE STATE OF THE WICKED 315 

shall I do, that I may have [ aiuviop ] eternal life ?" (Matt. 19 : 
16.) "He shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, . . . 
and in the world to come [ ai&vtov ] eternal life" (Mark 10 :30). 
"The things which are not seen are [ aluvia ] eternal" (II. Cor. 
4:18). "Worketh for us more and more exceedingly an 
[ aitiviov ] eternal weight of glory" (II. Cor. 4: 17). "A house 
not made with hands, [ ai6viov ] eternal in the heavens" (II. 
Cor. 5: 1). "Into the [ aluvwv ] eternal kingdom of our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ" (II. Pet. 1: 11). In all these pas- 
sages the word aluvios is used, and is translated eternal and 
everlasting. These terms, as used in these passages, express 
endless duration. 

If the words "everlasting life" and "eternal life" do not mean 
endless life, then in what terms did either Christ or the apostles 
promise endless life to any one '? This word aluviog is the 
strongest word used in the ISTew Testament to express the dura- 
tion of the happiness of the righteous. If we limit the mean- 
ing of the word when used in relation to the wicked, we must, 
for the very same reason, limit it when used in relation to the 
righteous, so that we shall have neither heaven nor hell beyond 
this life. If the going away into ( aiwiov ) eternal punishment 
does not mean endless punishment, then the going into life 
( aiuviov ) eternal does not mean endless life. What, then, did 
our Lord intend to teach ? "T have seen," says Dr. Clarke, "the 
best things that have been written in favor of the final redemp- 
tion of damned spirits, but I never saw an answer to the argu- 
ment against that doctrine, drawn from this verse, but that 
sound learning and criticism should be ashamed to acknowledge. 
The original word, al6v is certainly to be taken here in its 
proper grammatical sense, continued being, never-ending/' 

"It is good for thee to enter into life maimed or halt, rather 
than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the [ al&vtov ] 
eternal fire" (Matt. 18 : 8). "Then shall he say also unto them 



316 CHRISTIAN THEOLO GY 

on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the [ ai6vu>r ] 
eternal fire" (Matt. 25:41). Now to show that Christ used 
the term ( alaviov ) eternal in the sense of endless duration, we 
will turn to Mark 9 : 43-48, where the same eternal fire is spoken 
of, "If thy hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off : it is good for 
thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having thy two hands- 
to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, . . . where 
their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." "Un- 
quenchable fire." The fire that never shall be quenched. How 
long will that fire continue which is "everlasting'? How long 
will that fire burn which never shall be quenched? How long 
will that worm live which "dieth not"? "But whosoever shall 
blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but 
is guilty of an [ aiwiov ] eternal sin" (Mark 3: 29). In what, 
words could our Lord have more clearly expressed endless dura- 
tion '? "But he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but 
the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3 : 36). "But he that 
disbelieveth shall be condemned" (Mark 16 : 16). Many do not 
believe on the Son of God. In these texts our Lord says, They 
"shall be condemned." To make it, if possible, more emphatic, 
he says, He "shall not see life," and that the wrath of God 
"abideth on him." If our Lord did not intend to teach the doc- 
trine of future endless punishment, why did he use terms which 
cannot, without violating the laws of language, be interpreted 
to mean less than that ? "But the heavens that now are, and 
the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being 
reserved against the day of judgement and destruction of un- 
godly men" (II. Pet. 3:7). Webster defines the word "de- 
struction" to mean demolition, devastation, and ruin. With 
this definition of the word "destruction," the meaning of the 
whole text is simple and clear. (1) There will be a future gen- 
eral judgment. (2) The earth and the elements shall be dis- 
solved by fire. (3) When this great and terrible day of the 



FUTURE STATE OF TEE WICKED 317 

Lord shall come, the ungodly shall be overthrown and utterly 
ruined. If by "the destruction of ungodly men" the apostle 
does not mean their utter ruin, then words are no index to ideas. 

Who, in speaking of the future happiness of the righteous, 
would employ such language \ "A man that hath set at nought 
Moses' law dieth without compassion on the word of two or three 
witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall he 
he judged worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God: 
and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was 
sanctified, an unholy thing" (Heb. 10: 28, 29). To reject the 
law of Moses was a sin, and those who did it were punished with 
death. (See ^S T um. 15: 30, and Deut. 17: 6.) Those who re- 
ject Christ shall receive a punishment which is sorer than death. 
£Tow as there is no punishment in this world which is sorer than 
death, the punishment that is sorer than death must be after 
death — in the world to come. 

A comparison of words and phrases used by Christ and his 
apostles concerning the future state of the wicked and righteous 
may assist us in better understanding this subject : 

1. Of the wicked it is said; "These shall go away into eternal 
punishment." They shall never be forgiven, "neither in this 
world, nor in that which is to come." "Their worm dieth not." 
'The fire is not quenched." They "shall not see life." "The 
wrath of God" shall abide on them. They "shall suffer punish- 
ment, even eternal destruction." "Depart from me, ye cursed, 
into the eternal fire." "Suffering the punishment of eternal 
fire." "He that disbelieveth shall be condemned." "Ye . . . 
shall die in your sin: whither I go, ye cannot come." "The 
smoke of their torment goeth up for ever and ever." They shall 
receive a punishment which is sorer than death. 

2. Concerning the righteous, it is said that they shall have 
"everlasting life," "eternal life," an "eternal weight of glory," 
"a. house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 



318 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

Now observe that the words used to express the future happi- 
ness of the righteous are no stronger than those used to express 
the future punishment of the wicked. If, when used in rela- 
tion to the future state of the righteous, they signify endless 
duration, for the very same reason we must attach the same 
meaning when used in relation to the future state of the wicked. 
If Christ and his apostles did not intend to teach the doctrine of 
future endless punishment, they were very unfortunate in the 
use of terms. 

The Scriptures not only teach the fact of punishment after 
death, but they also describe something of the nature of that 
punishment : 

1. It will he endless. We are approaching a fixed state. 
After death there is no probation. A soul lost at death will be 
lost forever. Those who advocate a probation after death do 
so without any scripture to sustain them. There is not one pas- 
sage in God's Word that teaches that any soul will come to 
Christ after death. Abraham said to the rich man, "Between 
us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that they which would 
pass from hence to you may not be able, and that none may cross 
over from thence to us" (Luke 16: 26). That gulf remains,, 
for it is "fixed." 

2. Banishment from God and the glory of his 'power. 
"These shall go away into eternal punishment." "Cast into 
outer darkness." Whether we understand this to be literal dark- 
ness or not, it does not matter ; it describes a state of gloom and 
darkness. It is away from God, heaven, and everything that is 
pure and good. 

3. A state of remorse. Memory will not be destroyed. 
Abraham said to the rich man, "Son, remember," and he did 
remember. Every lost soul will remember neglected opportuni- 
ties and slighted mercies. 

4. !No pang will be keener than the consciousness of being 
lost — forever lost. 



FUTURE STATE OF TEE WICKED 319 

Men may theorize as they choose, but they can never explain 
away those plain declarations in God's Word concerning the 
future destiny of the wicked. There is a heaven of endless 
delights for the good. There is a hell of endless torments for 
the wicked. The Bible is just as clear on the one as it is on 
the other. By the same course of argument that you disprove 
one you will disprove the other. On the doctrine of future end- 
less punishment, Dr. Miley says: "On this question the best 
scholarship of to-day is in full accord with the historic doc- 
trine of the church. This is a significant fact, and the more 
so because such accordance is not from any predilection or pref- 
erence, but simply by constraint of the plain sense of Scripture." 

Sin is an infinite evil. Because the act of sinning is finite,. 
we are not thence to conclude that the consequences are finite. 
That would be "confounding the physical quantity with the 
moral quality, which amounts to an absurdity." The claims of 
the law are infinite. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, 
and with all thy strength." As long as the soul exists, and 
eternity endures, this claim will rest upon the soul. The 
penalty of the law, wdiich is death, is in itself an endless 
curse. We conclude, therefore, that sin is an infinite evil, (1) 
because it is committed against a Being of infinite purity, jus- 
tice, power, and goodness; (2) because it is in violation of in- 
finite obligation; (3) because no being less than the only be- 
gotten Son of an infinite God could atone for it; (4) because 
none but an infinite God can pardon sin. 

Inasmuch, therefore, as the obligations to obey the law are 
eternal, the penalty annexed thereto must be eternal also. If a 
soul enters the future world loving God with all its powers, it 
will continue to love him evermore. If a soul enters the future 
world in sin, it will remain in sin forever. "Whatsoever a man 
soweth, that shall he also reap." Beyond death there is no pro- 



320 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

bation. There is not one text in the Bible that teaches that any- 
lost soul will come to Christ after death. When the end of time 
has come, as come it surely will, then it will be said, "He that is 
unrighteous, let him do unrighteousness still: and he that is 
filthy, let him be made filthy still : and he that is righteous, let 
him do righteousness still : and he that is holy, let him be made 
lioly still" (Rev. 22: 11). So it will remain evermore. 

Those who think that the endless separation of the wicked 
from the righteous, in the world to come, is more than justice 
■can require, have not given time for a careful review of the 
nature and effect of sin. From one sin originated all the evil, 
misery, and distress of this world. There is not a being, nor a 
thing, on earth, nor in the earth, which has escaped its poison- 
ous touch. The tendency of sin is forever and eternally down- 
ward. Such is its nature and tendency that no less a sacrifice 
than the sufferings and death of the only begotten and well- 
beloved Son of God could atone for it. One sin in heaven would 
make that pure realm like this world. Ample provisions have 
been made, so that all who will may be saved from the guilt, 
pollution, and endless consequences of sin. It is not the will of 
the Father that any of his creatures should be separated from 
him. Our divine Lord complained of the people because they 
would not come unto him that they might have life. To be 
eternally separated from God, and everything that is pure and 
good, is a matter of choice. We are free moral agents. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

HADES (HELL). 

The doctrine of a future state of retribution is no new theory. 
"Ancient and modern heathen, the Jews and Mohammedans, 
believe in a future state of retribution; it is not therefore a 
sentiment peculiar to Christianity." We could form no con- 
ception of a religion that rejected the doctrine of future re- 
wards and punishments. A religion without any requirements 
is no religion at all. And to require intelligent beings to dis- 
charge certain duties, and then inform them that it will make 
no possible difference in the end whether they obey or not, is 
contrary to reason and justice. Beyond this life there must be 
a, heaven for the good and a hades (hell) for the bad. If this 
is not true, then this life is not a probation, and all the require- 
ments of the gospel are meaningless. 

Concerning the place of future punishment, there are four 
distinct words in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures which, in 
the common version are translated hell. These are Sheol, 
Hades, Tartarus, Gehenna. 

Hades. This word occurs eleven times in the New Testa- 
ment. (Ten times in our common version it is translated hell, 
and once it is rendered grave.) Hades signifies the unseen, or 
invisible world of departed spirits in general, "without any dis- 
tinction, in ordinary cases, between the good and the bad." Any 
special meaning given to it must be determined by the connec- 
tion in which it occurs. 

It is generally allowed that Hades of the New Testament is 
the equivalent of Sheol of the Old Testament, and signifies the 
grave, unseen, or invisible world of departed spirits in general. 
Admitting that the words were most generally used in this sense, 

21 321 



322 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

it does not follow that they were never used in any other sense. 
The word "heaven" does not always mean the final home of the 
saints ; are we thence to conclude that it was never used in that 
sense \ 

Now, while it is freely admitted that Sheol of the Old Testa- 
ment and Hades of the New Testament were used to signify the 
place of departed spirits in general, without any distinction of 
character, it is also true that they were sometimes used in such 
connection as would not justify any such interpretation. 

Take the word Sheol of the Old Testament: "The wicked 
shall return to Sheol, even all the nations that forget God" 
(Ps. 9: 17). If Sheol in this text signifies nothing more than 
the grave, or place of departed spirits in general, then nothing 
more is threatened to the wicked than will befall the righteous. 
Both will die, and go into the grave, or unseen world. Why 
say to the wicked that they shall return to Sheol when all must 
go there, whether they are wicked or righteous \ On the as- 
sumption that Sheol means nothing more than the grave, or un- 
seen world, this text is absolutely without any force whatever. 

Hades. Take the case of the rich man and Lazarus: "And 
in Hades [hell] he lifted up his eyes, being in torments" (Luke 
16: 23). If it be said that this is only a parable, the* force of 
the argument is not in any sense weakened. If it is a parable, 
it is based upon a fact, or a possible fact. It had occurred, or it 
might occur ; if not, then the Saviour was guilty of employing 
fiction. But Jesus never resorted to fiction. Every parable 
was based upon a fact or a possible fact. The language is too 
emphatic for fiction. "There was a certain rich man." He had 
lived, died, was buried. "And in Hades he lifted up his eyes." 
Now observe that the lifting up of his eyes and being in tor- 
ments were after he was dead and buried. A man dead and 
buried could hardly be supposed to lift up his eyes and talk in 
the grave. From the emphatic words of Christ in this historv 



HADES (HELL) 323 

it is perfectly clear that, while the word Hades was often used 
to signify the grave, or invisible world, it was also used to sig- 
nify a place and condition of suffering beyond the grave. 

Pour things are particularly taught in the account given of 
the rich man and Lazarus: First, the soul has a conscious exist- 
ence after the death of the body. Second, heaven and Hades 
(hell) lie beyond the grave. Third, that men form characters 
in this world which will fit them for one or the other of those 
worlds beyond. Fourth, the saved will be saved forever, and 
the lost will be lost forever. The impassable gulf is "fixed." 

Gehenna. This word is compounded of two Hebrew words, 
Ge Hinnom; that is, "the valley of Hinnom." In the Xew 
Testament it is called Gehenna. This word occurs twelve times 
in the New Testament. Among the Jews the Valley of Hin- 
nom was considered an emblem of Hades. And our Saviour, in 
addressing them, evidently used it in this sense. In arriving 
at the meaning of any generic term, we must not only take the 
definition of the word, but it must be such a definition as will 
agree with the context. This general rule should be observed 
in determining the meaning of all generic words. Because the 
word Gehenna literally signified the valley of Hinnom, we are 
not thence to conclude that it was never used in any other sense. 
The proper meaning must be determined by the connection in 
which it is used. The original meaning of the word "paradise" 
is, "a place inclosed for pleasure and delight." In the Old 
Testament, it is used in reference to the Garden of Eden. In 
the New Testament it is used as another name for heaven* 
(Luke 23:43; II. Cor. 12:4; Eev. 2:7.) If, because the 
word Gehenna literally signifies the valley of Hinnom, it never 
means anything else, then Paradise never means anything else 
than the Garden of Eden, or a place on earth inclosed for pleas- 
ure and delight. 

We will examine a few passages where the word Gehenna 



324 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

occurs, to show that it was used by our Saviour to signify some- 
thing very different from the valley of Hinnom. It was used 
when addressing the Jews, who believed in a place of punish- 
ment after death: "And be not afraid of them which kill the 
body, but are not able to kill the soul : but rather fear him which 
is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [Gehenna]" (Matt. 
10:28). "And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid 
of them which kill the body, and after that have no more that 
they can do. But I will warn you which ye shall fear : Fear 
him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell 
[Gehenna] ; yea, I say unto you, Fear him" (Luke 12 : 4, 5). 

In these passages several important truths are clearly set 
forth: (1) The body and soul are distinct from each other. 
Men may kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. (2) In this 
Gehenna (hell) both soul and body are to be cast. (3) The 
term "soul" cannot mean the life, for in killing the body the 
life is destroyed. Our Lord says that men cannot kill the soul. 
(4) Those who killed the body might cast it into the valley of 
Hinnom, but God only had power to cast both soul and body into 
hell (Gehenna). (5) It is affirmed that those who kill the body 
have no more that they can do. 

God can kill the body, but they were not to fear him on this 
account. "Fear him which after he hath hilled, hath power to 
cast into hell." They were to fear God for what he was able 
to do after the death of the body. If by Gehenna nothing more 
is meant than the valley of Hinnom, then the literal meaning 
of these texts would be this : It is no great matter to die, but 
a most dreadful thing to have the dead body cast into the valley 
of Hinnom. Such a rendering of the sacred Word amounts to 
a perversion. 

The soul, which our Lord plainly teaches is distinct from the 
body, could not be cast into the valley of Hinnom. If it should 
be urged that the soul means the life, nothing is gained in the 



HADES (HELL) 325 

argument, for the life is destroyed when the body is killed, and 
this casting into Gehenna (hell) is after the life of the body is 
destroyed. Furthermore, there were no elements of suffering 
for the soul in that valley. There is no law of language by 
which these passages can be explained to mean nothing more 
than the valley of Hinnom. 

We invite special attention to another passage, "And if thy 
right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from 
thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should 
perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell [Gehenna]" 
(Matt. 5:29). In Mark 9:43-48, this discourse is more 
fully reported. The cutting off of the hand and plucking out of 
the eye is urged, because our Saviour says it were more profit- 
able to part with these than to be cast into hell {Gehenna). 
Then Christ adds, "Into the unquenchable fire." Again, he 
adds, "Where their worm dieth not." 

Xow observe that this casting into hell {Gehenna) fire is all 
to take place after the death of the body. The right eye and the 
right hand evidently had reference to some sins that were dear 
to the heart, and our Saviour is urging them to cut them off. 
If they are as dear as the eye or hand, better part with them 
than to be cast into hell. But suppose we take the text in a lit- 
eral sense, and say nothing was meant but the valley of Hin- 
nom. Then we submit the following questions: (1)^ What 
right or authority had Christ to threaten them with being cast 
into the valley of Hinnom? (2) Was there any law or usage 
that required persons to be cast into that valley who refused to 
have their right eye plucked out and their right hand cut off? 
(3) Have these passages any force now? The fire has long 
since gone out in the valley of Hinnom and the worms have 
long since died. But the Gehenna of which Christ spake was to 
continue — the fire never shall be quenched, and "their worm 
dieth not," so that, if our Lord meant nothing more than the 



326 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

valley of Hinnom, he asserted what is not, and cannot, be true. 
The fire has been quenched and the worms have died. Then, 
too, all those passages which threaten men with hell-fire are 
without any force at this time. When the fire in the valley went 
out Christ's words died. 

If there is no place of punishment after death, how are we 
to account for the language used by Christ and his apostles \ 
Did they intend to deceive the people ? The people, generally, 
believed in future rewards and punishments. They believed 
in a heaven and hell beyond the grave ; and the words of Christ 
and his apostles would confirm them in that belief. However 
unwelcome it may be to the unsaved, it is nevertheless true that 
the only reasonable construction that can be put upon the lan- 
guage of Christ and his apostles is that beyond this world, and 
after death, there is a heaven of endless joy for the righteous, 
and a hell of endless torments for the wicked. "And these shall 
go away into eternal punishment : but the righteous into eternal 
life" (Matt. 25:46). 

By the same course of argument that we explain away the 
doctrine of a future place and state of endless punishment we 
explain away the doctrine of a future place and state of endless 
happiness. If men better understood the heinous nature of sin, 
and how exceedingly offensive it must be to a Being of infinite 
and absolute purity, they would see the justice and reasonable- 
ness of an endless separation between the righteous and wicked. 
Man is a free moral agent. If he will, he can go to the home of 
the good. If he will, he can go to the abode of the lost, "for 
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

CHURCH GOVERNMENT. 

The question to be particularly considered in this chapter is 
as to whether or not any form of church government is repre- 
sented in the Scriptures. We shall assume that while no form 
of government in detail is set forth, yet the general principles, 
both for the organization and government of the visible church, 
are given. Man is constituted for society — for fellowship ; and 
in order to the full development of these elements in his nature, 
there must be organization under certain rules and regulations. 
Organization and order mutually imply each other, and these 
necessarily imply rules and regulations. 

Because every minute detail of church government is not 
given in the ^Tew Testament, some conclude that no principles 
at all are furnished. Others mistake by not discriminating be- 
tween the general invisible church and a visible local church. 
"There is clearly a distinction between the church of Christ and 
a church of Christ." The church of Christ includes all the peo- 
ple of God, of every age, in heaven and in earth. A church of 
Christ is an organization, or association, of Christian persons 
under certain rules and regulations, and visible to the world 
around. The church at Ephesus was a church of Christ, so was 
the church at Jerusalem ; but neither was the church of Christ, 
to the excfusion of the other. So now the Methodist denomina- 
tion is a church of Christ, so the Presbyterian, but neither is the 
church of Christ, to the exclusion of all others. 

We will state a few of the arguments which may be used in 
favor of a visible church organization ; also, point out some of 
the general principles of church law contained in the Holy 
Scriptures. It should be remembered that "the principles es- 
sential to the organization and government of the Christian 

327 



328 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

church, and the articles of faith essential to salvation, are few 
Jn number and simple and comprehensive in character." 

I. The church under both dispensations is the same church. 
Upon this, Mr. Watson says : u The Christian church is not an- 
other church, but the very same that it was before the coming 
of Christ, having the same faith with it, and interested in the 
same covenant. Great alterations, indeed, were made in the 
outward state and condition of the church by the coming of the 
Messiah, . . . but none of these things, nor the whole col- 
lectively, did make such an alteration in the church, but that it 
was the same. The olive-tree was the same, only branches were 
broken off, and others grafted into it." 

II. Government and form mutually imply each other. The 
church of God, organized and made public in the family of 
Abraham, had a form of church government. Specific instruc- 
tions were given to the church of God under the law. Their 
sacrifices, how and by whom to be offered, their feasts and their 
fasts — indeed, every minute particular was given through Moses 
by divine authority. If, then, the church, under the former dis- 
pensation, had a form of government, is it not most reasonable 
to conclude that the same church, continued under another dis- 
pensation, should have laid down some general principles of 
government ? There must be some general rules — some form 
of government. Persons are to be received into fellowship and 
excluded from such fellowship. Then, there must be rational 
and Christian fellowship. There must be some regulation by 
which the Christian people can meet for public worship ; there 
must be some rules for administering the ordinances of the 
church. So, from every side, we are advised of the necessity 
of a form of church government. The evangelization of the 
world is clearly the mission of the church, and to accomplish 
this end there must be an organization, because the instrumental 
agencies for its accomplishment are not else possible. 



CHURCH GOVERNMENT 329 

III. We must take one of two positions, either the church 
was to cease altogether when Christ came, or else some general 
principles were laid down for her government. It cannot be 
called in question that a form of government is essential to the 
very existence of an organization, or association. Under the 
law, the church of God was an organized body, placed under a 
form of government by divine appointment. Now, "if there be 
no church government laid down in the New Testament as of 
divine authority, then it follows that the New Testament church 
is under no government whatever, or under a government of 
human origin and authority." If under the law of types and 
shadows a form of government was laid down by divine au- 
thority, are we to expect less when all these have been super- 
seded by the coming of the grand antitype ? 

IV. The language employed by the prophets concerning 
Christ, and his peaceful reign on earth, imply an organization 
and form of government; "Behold, a king shall reign in right- 
eousness, and princes shall rule in judgement" (Isa. 32:1). 
"And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up 
a kingdom" (Dan. 2:44). "A king shall reign" A kingdom 
shall he set up. Can all this be without any form of govern- 
ment ? Daniel says that this kingdom is set up by the God of 
heaven, thus teaching that it is by divine authority. All predic- 
tions of the prophets concerning the coming and work of the 
Messiah imply order, and there can be no such thing as order 
without some form of government. This may apply to civil 
as well as ecclesiastical matters. 

But we will turn to the New Testament and see if we can find 
any evidence of a form of church government. It is not pre- 
tended that every minute detail is specifically laid down ; it is 
only claimed that the general principles of government are 
prescribed. 

1. We observe that the Christian church is an institution* 



330 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

organized for certain purposes. The great object is the general 
diffusion of knowledge ; the elevation and ultimate salvation of 
mankind. Contemplating the prescribed work of the church, 
as clearly set forth in the Holy Scriptures, it is impossible to 
•conceive how it can be accomplished without a visible organiza- 
tion; and there can be no visible organization without some 
form of government. It should be observed that a simple form 
of government does not necessarily imply a written creed; it 
may exist in an oral form. In all forms of government, how- 
ever, whether civil or ecclesiastical, it is certainly better that it 
should be in writing. This, in a large measure, will prevent 
disputes concerning the form of government. Still, that in it- 
self is not essential to the existence of a form of government. 
Some who set themselves against all forms of church govern- 
ment because they are written seem not to understand that 
rules and regulations may, and often do, exist orally. The 
oral rule is just as much a rule as though it had been written a 
thousand times. But, we say, it were better for each denomina- 
tion that the articles of faith and form of government be in 
writing. 

2. Public worship and Christian fellowship, as set forth and 
required in the IsTew Testament, plainly teach that there must 
be some general rules — some order — some form of government. 
The time and place for public worship must be agreed upon. 
^'Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the cus- 
tom of some is, but exhorting one another ; and so much the more, 
as ye see the day drawing nigh" (Heb. 10 : 25). This is a com- 
mand to meet together for worship. To comply with this re- 
quirement there must be a visible organization, and there must 
be an agreement as to time and place. If there is to be no form 
of government, either written or oral, how is public worship to 
be maintained ? 

3. A form of church government is implied in the great 



CHURCH GOVERNMENT 331 

commission, "Preach the gospel to the whole creation." Concert 
of action is a necessity, as discovered in the light of this com- 
mission ; and there can be no concert of action in spreading the 
gospel without a visible organization, and a visible organization 
implies and includes a form of government. "And how shall 
they believe in him whom they have not heard ? and how shall 
they hear without a preacher ? and how shall they preach, ex- 
cept they be sent ?" (Rom. 10: 14, 15.) A minister must have 
a. divine mission — called of God ; he must have authority and 
unction from God, but he must be sent, and this implies some 
one to send. Who shall do this ? There can be but one answer, 
namely, the church. To send a preacher to the heathen implies 
more than for some one to say, Go. He must be sustained in 
his work. By whom ? The church. 2Tow all this implies order 
— concert of action and a form of government. 

We are not contending for any particular form of church gov- 
ernment ; we only hold that the church, as set forth in the Holy 
Scriptures, has a visible organization, and that the general prin- 
ciples for the government of the church are clearly laid down. 
From the teachings and practice of the apostles we learn that 
they had their times and places for public worship ; officers were 
appointed, and the ordinances were administered. Concerning 
the minute details of church government, which are not essen- 
tial to great principles, Christians are left to their own judg- 
ment, and yet not so as to adopt any rule, or law, that will in any 
wise conflict with those fundamental principles laid down by 
divine authority. Any law or rule laid down by any body of 
Christians that will conflict with the teachings or spirit of the 
gospel of Christ is wrong, and will tend only to evil. 

4. The acts and instructions of the apostles concerning the 
reception and rejection of persons prove an organization, with 
certain discretionary power upon the part of the church. "They 
then that received his word were baptized: and there were 



332 CHRISTIAN THEOLO GY 

added unto them in that day about three thousand souls" (Acts 
2:41). Here there was an actual addition, which implies a 
visible organization, with some form of recognition. 

A person may be a member of the general invisible church be- 
fore he becomes a member of the visible church. Whenever a 
man is truly converted he is at once, by the spirit of adoption, 
made a member of God's spiritual family. This, we think, is 
clearly shown in the case of Paul himself. (Acts 9:26-36.) 
He came to Jerusalem and essayed to join himself to the dis- 
ciples, but they would not receive him until Barnabas testified 
in his behalf. Paul was a Christian, and had been made a mem- 
ber of the general invisible church before he reached Jerusalem, 
but the disciples demanded proof. This shows that the infant 
apostolic church had discretionary power to receive or reject 
persons; and all this is evidence of a visible organization and 
a form of government. 

In further proof of the position assumed we will give the 
direction of the Lord himself: "And if thy brother sin against 
thee, go, shew him his fault between thee and him alone : if he 
hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he hear thee 
not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two 
witnesses or three every word may be established. And if he 
refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church : and if he refuse to 
hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the 
publican" (Matt. 18: 15-18). This is a general order, and is 
a direct proof of a visible organization and a definite form of 
government. What is meant by "telling it unto the church/' if 
the church has no visible organization and no form of govern- 
ment ? 

In Rom. 14: 1 ; Titus 3 : 10 ; and II. John 10, instructions 
and directions are given concerning the rejection of persons 
from fellowship. To receive persons into fellowship, or to re- 
ject them, implies discretionary power, and whenever such 



CHURCH GOVERNMENT 333 

power is exercised, there must be some form of visible organi- 
zation. So that "the directions given by Christ and the apostles 
imply the existence of real, visible Christian organization, pos- 
sessing the power of moral discipline over their own members." 

The general principles for the government of the church be- 
ing clearly set forth by Christ and his apostles, the minute de- 
tails can be safely left to the judgment of Christians, only so 
that no rule or law be adopted that will conflict with those gen- 
eral principles. A careful study of the Word of God will en- 
able enlightened Christian men to adopt rules and regulations 
that will not only not conflict with those general principles, but 
oe in the most perfect harmony with them. 

Concerning any particular form of church government, our 
limits would not permit us to discuss that question to any con- 
siderable length. There are five leading views held among pro- 
fessed Christians respecting the rightful authority of the visible 
church: (1) The Catholics hold that the supreme authority is 
with the Pope; (2) the Congregationalists hold that it rests in 
each congregation ; (3) the Episcopalians hold that the supreme 
authority rests with a superior order in the ministry ; (4) Pres- 
byterians hold that it rests with the ministers and lay members 
jointly; (5) the Methodists hold that it is vested mainly in the 
ordained*elders of the church. 

As already stated, the Scriptures contain the general prin- 
ciples of church government and moral discipline, but they do 
not, in detail, prescribe any form. It may be well, in this con- 
nection, to give the opinions of a few leading divines on this 
question. Mr. Watson, adopting the language of Bishop Tom- 
line, says : "As it has not pleased our Almighty Father to pre- 
scribe any particular form of government for the security of 
temporal comforts to his rational creatures, so neither has he 
prescribed any particular form of ecclesiastical polity as abso- 
lutely necessary to the attainment of eternal happiness. Thus 



334 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

the gospel only lays down general principles, and leaves the 
application of them to men as free agents." 

Dr. Bangs says, "No specific form of church government is 
prescribed in the Scriptures, and it is, therefore, left to the dis- 
cretion of the church to regulate these matters as the exigencies 
of time, place, and circumstances shall dictate to be most ex- 
pedient, always avoiding any and everything which God has 
prohibited." 

Bishop Emory says, "No form of polity can plead such an ex- 
clusive charter as that phrase, 'divine right/ in its present ac- 
ceptation, is understood to imply." 

Dr. Low says, "No certain form of government is prescribed 
in the Word, only general rules laid down for it." 

Bishop Bridges says, "God hath not expressed the form of 
church government, at least not so as to bind us to it." 

Mr. Wesley says: "As to my own judgment, I still believe 
the Episcopal form of church government to be scriptural and 
apostolic. I mean well agreeing with the practice and writings 
of the apostles. But that it is prescribed in Scripture, I do not 
believe." 

Dr. Miley says: "The question of chief importance is the 
adaptation of the polity to the attainment of the spiritual end 
for which the church is constituted. This should always be a 
determining principle. The principle means that the constitu- 
tion of a polity is left to the discretion of the church ; but it 
also means that the construction must be made in the light of 
her mission, and with a view to its very best accomplishment. 
The discretionary power of the church . . . appears in the 
light of three facts: (1) The church must have a polity; (2) 
there is no divinely ordered polity ; ( 3 ) consequently it is left 
to the church, and to each church rightfully existing as such, to 
determine her own polity." 

With these authors we fully agree. No definite form of 



CHURCH GOVERNMENT 335 

church government is prescribed — only general principles are 
given, leaving the application of those principles to Christian 
men to be applied as the exigencies of the time, place, and cir- 
cumstances should dictate to be most expedient. 

From a careful review of the whole question, we conclude 
that it is nearest in harmony with the practice and writings of 
the apostles to say that the authority in the visible church is 
vested in the ministry and laity taken together. 

In the apostolic church, as in all evangelical churches now,, 
the laity bears no inconsiderable portion of the responsibility. 
Of necessity they must fill many offices in the church. Each 
local church must have its elders, or deacons, or leaders. On 
the reception and rejection of members they must act. The 
means to sustain and extend the work of the church must come 
mostly from the laity. It may be, and indeed is, a question as 
to the extent of the authority of the laity. Shall it be confined 
to the local church, or may it be extended to the executive de- 
partment of the church, and, still farther, may it be extended 
so as to include the judicial and legislative departments of the 
church ? Upon these questions the Scriptures are not explicit. 
But taking what the New Testament gives as the basis of church 
government, it would seem to be most in harmony with the 
spirit and usage of the apostolic church that laymen should 
have something to say and do in each and every department of 
church work. It is our opinion that the form of government in 
the New Testament church was not exclusively Episcopal, Pres- 
byterian, or Congregational, but a combination of certain ele- 
ments of all. 

So far as we are able to judge, the rules and regulations in 
the church during the time of the apostles were comparatively 
few and simple. They had their regular times and places for 
public worship; the ordinances were properly administered; 
and the necessary officers were appointed or elected. Every- 



336 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

thing appears to have been "done decently and in order." The 
apostolic practice under the law of Christ should be accepted as 
a divine model of church government. It is so broad that all 
the necessary details of church polity may be builded upon it. 

While the exigencies of the times in the early history of the 
church may not have required as many rules as at this day, yet 
it must be apparent to thoughtful persons that the tendency now 
is to over-legislation. Too much machinery is a hindrance 
rather than a help. We have in various denominations organi- 
zations within organizations, rules and regulations that require 
much of the time of ministers and certain of the laymen to carry 
out. Almost everything must be legislated into, or out of, the 
church. Rules and regulations must be laid down for every- 
thing, leaving little or nothing to the judgment of the local con- 
gregation or the consciences of the people. With the increase 
of machinery there needs to be a corresponding increase of spir- 
ituality. Needful and helpful as rules and regulations are, none 
of them, nor all of them together, will answer as a substitute 
for spiritual power in the visible church of Christ. 



CHAPTER XL. 

THE MINISTRY. 

The gospel ministry is of divine origin. It was ordained for 
the purpose of instructing mankind in the principles and knowl- 
edge of the Holy Scriptures. Christ ordained three grand re- 
positories of his truth; namely, the written Word, the hearts 
of his disciples, and the living ministry, neither of which can 
he set aside or rejected. These three are in exact harmony with 
each other. The ministry is a permanent institution — as much 
so as the church itself. It is an essential element in the life and 
perpetuity of the church. The Mosaic, and, indeed, the patri- 
archal ages, had their divinely authorized teachers. In the Old 
Testament times, there were teachers, preachers, priests, and 
prophets. The church of God, in its organization and economy, 
is an institution complete in all its parts. This includes teach- 
ers, which, according to Christ's arrangement, pertains pre- 
eminently to a living and perpetua 1 ministry. 

Dr. Miley says : "Every religion has a ministry. In Juda- 
ism there was a divinely-appointed order for conducting the 
religious services. In the founding of Christianity, our Lord 
instituted a ministry, and clearly with the purpose of its per- 
petuation in the church. 'And he gave some to be apostles ; and 
some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and 
teachers ; for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of min- 
istering, unto the building up of the body of Christ.' The func- 
tions of the ministry must ever constitute a distinct class in the 
Christian church. The divine vocation of those who are prop- 
erly admitted to this sacred office must itself determine such 
.distinction." 

When Jesus Christ entered upon his public ministry, he ap- 



337 



338 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

pointed twelve apostles, who were to be witnesses of what he 
said and did. They were commissioned to go out and preach 
"the gospel to the whole creation," "make disciples of all the 
nations." Thus Christianity was established by the appoint- 
ment of religious teachers, with arrangements for the increase 
of their number as the work should enlarge, and for supplying 
their places as they should be taken out of the world. 

Paul's instruction to Timothy clearly shows that the institu- 
tion of the gospel ministry was to be perpetuated: "And the 
things which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, 
the same commit thou to faithful men, w 7 ho shall be able to teach 
others also" (II. Tim. 2:2). The doctrines which he had 
preached in the presence of many witnesses were to be com- 
mitted to faithful men, not to be hid away in their hearts, but 
that they might teach them to others ; and in this way the truth 
was to be preserved and perpetuated in the church. This was 
God's plan from the beginning. Through all the ages there 
stood in his place the living teacher. 

As long as there are men to instruct, there must be instruc- 
tors, or teachers. This is certainly very clearly set forth in the 
Word of God: "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the 
Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom 
they have not believed ? and how shall they believe in him 
whom they have not heard ? and how shall they hear without a 
preacher ? and how shall they preach, except they be sent ?" 
(Kom. 10: 13-15). That Paul had reference to the perpetuitv 
of the ministry there is no reason to doubt, for he immediately 
adds a quotation from Isaiah, "How beautiful are the feet 
of them that bring glad tidings of good things." The gospel 
must be preached. To whom ? Jesus said to the whole world 
— to every creature. By whom is this gospel to be preached ? 
By those who are sent — divinely authorized. From whom 
does this authority proceed? A most comprehensive answer 



TEE MINISTRY 33& 

to this last question may be found in Eph. 4: 11, 12. Paul 

declares, "He [Christ] gave some to be apostles; and some, 
prophets ; and some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and teach- 
ers; for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of min- 
istering unto the building up of the body of Christ." The con- 
dition of the world, and the nature of ministerial work, clearly 
imply two things: (1) It is to be perpetual. Both the church 
and the world demand this. (2) A divinely-appointed ministry 
— that is, men called of God to do this work. "None can effect- 
ually preach unless he have a divine mission, for how shall they 
preach except they be sent V' — "called of God." "The matter 
must come from God, and the person who proclaims it must 
have both authority and unction from on high." 

In olden times, "men spake from God, being moved by the 
Holy Ghost" (II. Pet. 1:21). So now, men are inwardly 
moved by the same Holy Ghost to take upon them the office of 
the ministry. The question is not whether God could have ap- 
pointed other means by which to accomplish the end. The mat- 
ter for us to understand is what the will of the Lord is. What- 
ever plan he has authorized is the best. And so far as the Fa- 
ther has been pleased to make known his will to us, it is that a 
living ministry is his chosen instrumentality of saving the 
world. "For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world 
through its wisdom knew not God, it was God's good pleasure 
through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that be- 
lieve" (I. Cor. 1 : 21). The office of a minister is one of solemn 
responsibility. To be called of God to go out into the world 
as a teacher of divine things is, beyond all doubt, the highest 
and most responsible office a man can hold on earth. 

We find in the New Testament a number of terms used and 
applied to ministers and officers in the church, such as elders, 
bishops, apostles, prophets, presbyters, deacons, pastors, evan- 
gelists, and teachers. Because these different terms are em- 



340 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

ployed, we are not thence to conclude that they signify as many 
different orders in the ministry, nor even as many offices to be 
filled by as many different persons. Some of the offices indi- 
cated by the different terms may meet in one person. Every 
true minister of Jesus Christ is an apostle, a teacher, and a 
prophet. He may also be an elder, a pastor, and a bishop. 

It will be proper, in this connection, to call attention to min- 
isterial parity. While there are many offices to be filled in the 
church of Christ, there is but one order in the ministry, namely, 
that of elder. Bishops and elders are one and the same order. 
Whatever difference there may be in the work they perform 
relates to office, and not to different order. The terms "elder" 
and "bishop" are applied to the same person, as will be seen by 
reference to the Scriptures: 

"That thou shouldest set in order the things that were want- 
ing, and appoint elders in every city, as I gave thee charge; if 
any man is blameless. . . . For the bishop must be blame- 
less, as God's steward" (Tit. 1:5-7). Dr. Clarke says, "It ap- 
pears that those who were called elders in the fifth verse are 
the same as those termed bishops in the seventh verse." He 
further says, "We have many proofs that bishops and elders 
were of the same order in the apostolic church." 

In Acts 20 : 17, 28, we find that those who were called elders 
in the seventeenth verse were called bishops, or overseers, in the 
twenty-eighth verse. Peter spoke of himself as an elder (I. Pet. 
5:1), showing thereby that an elder is the highest order in the 
Christian ministry. 

Concerning the qualifications of a bishop, they are the same as 
that of an elder: "The bishop therefore must be without re- 
proach, the husband of one wife, temperate, soberminded, or- 
derly, given to hospitality, apt to teach ; no brawler, no striker ; 
but gentle, not contentious, no lover of money ; one that ruleth 
well his own house, . . . not a novice. . . . Moro- 



THE MINISTRY 341 

over he must have good testimony from them that are without" 
(L Tim. 3:2-7). Now turn to Titus 1: 5-9, where the same 
in substance is required of an elder. Those called elders in 
verse five are called bishops in verse seven. The same duties, 
as well as the same qualifications, are required of all ministers. 
In I. Tim. 3 : 2-5, it is said that a bishop must be "one that rul- 
eth well his own house." Otherwise "how shall he take care of 
the church ?" In I. Tim. 5 : 17, it is expressly said, "Let the 
elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour." In 
these places ruling is as expressly assigned to elders as to bish- 
ops. So we see that the terms "bishops" and "elders" are used 
interchangeably in the New Testament. 

The great commission, given in Matt. 28 : 19, 20, is the same 
to all ministers, extending through all time, and including all 
countries. Thus throughout the New Testament the same 
duties are assigned to an elder as to a bishop. For the reason 
herein given we conclude that there is properly but one order 
of ministers recognized in the apostolic church. Whatever dis- 
tinction in name or work there may be, or seem to be, relates to 
office, and not to an order. The claim for apostolic succession 
is without divine authority. So far, then, as order is concerned, 
we claim but one order, and that the terms "bishop," "elder," 
and "presbyter" relate to the same order. 

Ordination. Various views concerning the ordination of per- 
sons for the ministry are entertained. While it may be true 
that no particular form of ordination is prescribed in the New 
Testament, it is clearly shown that some formal setting apart 
to the ministry was practiced in the apostolic church. Paul's 
instruction to Titus indicates the formal setting apart of cer- 
tain persons, "Appoint [ordain] elders in every city" (Titus 
1: 5). The same instruction was given to Timothy. (I. Tim. 
3:1-7.) They were not to ordain every man in the church. 
They were to ordain only such as had the necessary qualifica- 



342 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

tions. He must be blameless as the steward of God. He must 
"be able both to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict the 
gainsayer." Timothy himself was ordained, or set apart by the 
laying on of hands. (I. Tim. 4: 14; II. Tim. 1:6.) Christ 
"appointed [ordained] twelve that they might be with him, and 
that he might send them forth to preach" (Mark 3 : 14). From 
these, and other scriptures, it seems that devout persons who 
had proven themselves worthy men of God, sober, just, holy, 
patient, and of good report, were ordained — solemnly set apart 
to the work of the ministry. Both Benson and Clarke, in their 
comments on I. Tim. 3 : 1-7, and Titus 1 : 5-9, say that the eld- 
ers thus ordained were pastors, and that no church was "prop- 
erly organized" until a regular pastor was placed over it. 

We do not insist on any particular form of ordination; we 
only insist that the Word of God does teach some formal setting 
apart to the office of the ministry. Inasmuch as Timothy was 
ordained by the laying on of hands, and inasmuch as Timothy 
and Titus, who were persons in office, were instructed to ordain 
elders, and not to lay hands suddenly on any man, we have good 
reason to believe that the apostolic form of ordination was by 
the laying on of hands. The primitive Christians very gener- 
ally held this view. "There is scarcely a single ecclesiastical 
writer that does not expressly mention ordination as the work 
of the elders. Dr. Pope says: "The elders were set apart by 
imposition of hands. . . . They were one order. Presby- 
ters and bishops are, in the New Testament, names used inter- 
changeably of the same office." 

We wish to add a few thoughts concerning ministers and their 
work. To be a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and do 
the work implied therein, not only includes a great deal, but it 
is beyond all doubt the highest office ever filled by man. We 
can form some idea of the dignity of this office if we turn to the 
language of Paul, "We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of 



TEE MINISTRY 343 

Christ, as though God were intreating by us : we beseech you on 
behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God" (II. Cor. 5:20). 
Every true minister is an "ambassador for Christ," and in 
Christ's stead he is earnestly to beseech the people to be recon- 
ciled to God. 

1. A minister must be a good man. He should know by 
personal experience that he has been born again. Paul had 
such an experience — the witness of the Spirit that he was in 
Christ. 

2. He should be a holy man, "Be ye clean, ye that bear the 
vessels of the Lord" (Isa. 52:11). A man cannot properly 
minister in holy things who is not himself holy. "Who shall 
ascend into the hill of the Lord ? and who shall stand in his holy 
place ? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart ; who hath 
not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." 

3. He should give himself wholly to the one work. "But 
we will continue stedfastly in prayer, and in the ministry of 
the word" (Acts 6:4). The nature of the ministerial work is 
such that it demands the whole man — time, talent, head, heart, 
soul, and body. ~No man can do the work of a minister as it 
ought to be done who does not give himself wholly to it. 

4. A minister should be a man of prayer. The disciples 
said, "We will continue stedfastly in prayer." Dr. Clarke says, 
"A minister who does not pray much studies in vain." Those 
who pray most succeed best. Those who have accomplished 
most for Christ have been men of mighty prayer. 

5. He must have the presence and help of the Holy Spirit. 
The nature of the work is such that, without divine help, souls 
will not be saved. The Word must be quickened and carried to 
the heart by the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is called the 
"sword of the Spirit," and, under his quickening power, it be- 
comes "sharper than any two-edged sword." Jesus said that 
the Holy Ghost, when he is come, "shall not speak from him- 



344 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

self; ... he shall take of mine, and he shall declare it 
unto you." The work of the Holy Spirit is to quicken the Word 
and reveal Christ to the heart. Without the direct help of this 
blessed agent, nothing will be accomplished. 

6. A minister should be diligent in study. "Give diligence 
to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needetk 
not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth" (II. Tim. 
2 : 15). Study to cultivate the mind and heart. Study so as to 
understand the great truths of the gospel. Study so as to be 
able rightly to divide the word of truth. A teacher, to be suc- 
cessful, must know what and how to teach. God will help those 
that help themselves. God despises a sluggard, no matter if he 
is called a minister. Those who can should seek the advantage 
of an education, both in our classical and theological schools. 
We have men of large usefulness in the ministry who never had 
such advantages, but it is worthy of note that the more intelli- 
gent of these self-made men are in favor of classical and theo- 
logical schools. Education is a powerful means under God for 
advancing the kingdom of Christ. Young men, called and sent 
by the Holy Spirit of God, will only be the better prepared for 
the work by a careful training in Christian colleges and semi- 
naries. Only, let everything be done to the glory of God. 

Lest we might not be well understood, it may be well to state : 
(1) God calls whomsoever he will. (2) Many unlearned men 
have been called, whom God has used with great advantage to 
his church. (3) He will call many more of that class for future 
service. (4) All cannot avail themselves of the advantages of 
a classical and theological training in the schools. (5) Let all 
such use the means within their reach with all diligence, and 
thus prepare themselves for efficient work. (6) Above every- 
thing else, let the learned and the unlearned seek for the endow- 
ment of the Holy Spirit. For this there is no substitute. 

7. A minister should be zealous. Paul savs that he should 



. THE MINISTRY 345 

be "instant in season, and ont of season." To succeed, he must 
be in earnest. "An idle, frigid, indifferent minister is a pest 
to society, a disgrace to his profession, an injury to the church, 
and offensive to God himself." It requires earnest, persevering 
work to win souls to Christ. Concerning Christ, it is said, "The 
zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." This, in no small degree, 
is the heart experience of every true minister of Jesus Christ. 
Their strong desire to see the cause of Christ prosper absorbs 
and consumes everything else. 

8. A minister should be humble. The great Teacher him- 
self was a pattern of humility. It shone out all through his life. 
"Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." A 
foppish person should never enter the pulpit in the name of a 
minister. Humility, meekness, and zeal are graces that beauti- 
fully blend together in the character of a true minister of Jesus 
Christ. Matthew Henry said, "I would think it a greater hap- 
piness to gain one soul to Christ than mountains of gold to my- 
self." Doddridge, in writing to a friend, said, "I long for the 
conversion of souls more sensibly than for anything beside." 
John Smith, that great Wesleyan preacher, said: "I am a 
broken-hearted man ; not for myself, but on account of others. 
God has given me such a sight of the value of precious souls that 
I cannot live if souls are not saved." Some ministers may smile 
in reading such experiences of zeal and heart-earnestness, but 
what man divinely called to the ministry, who considers the 
priceless value of souls, can be indifferent as to whether or not 
they are saved ? 

Paul's charge to Timothy will be a fit closing of this part of 
this chapter : "I charge thee in the sight of God, and of Christ 
Jesus, who shall judge the quick and the dead, and by his ap- 
pearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in 
season, out of season ; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long- 
suffering and teaching. . . . But be thou sober in all 



346 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy 
ministry" (II. Tim. 4:1-5). 
Pastoral work. 

While preaching the word stands first in order, the pastoral 
work is so intimately connected with it that they cannot well be 
separated. "The pastoral work is the personal application of 
the pulpit ministry to the proper individualities of the people." 
A minister is not only a teacher, an ambassador and messenger, 
but a watchman and shepherd as well. All these combine in the 
one office. As a watchman, he must not only watch for souls, 
but he must watch over souls. As a shepherd, he must not only 
feed the flock, but must go before and lead them. As far as it 
is possible he should know the condition of each member of his 
flock. Paul said to the pastors, "Take heed unto yourselves, 
and to all the flock, in the which the Holy Ghost hath made 
you overseers." Be 'prudent and faithful, in the work to which 
you have been divinely commissioned. If a minister be faith- 
ful, he deceives not others ; and if he is prudent, he is not apt 
to deceive himself." 

A minister who imagines that his work is all done in the pul- 
pit has but an imperfect conception of what belongs to his office. 
He does not understand what is implied and included in the 
offices of watchman and shepherd. "The pastor and preacher 
combine to form the completeness of the sacred office." While 
we would not detract a single iota from the importance of 
preaching the word, yet we insist upon it that the pulpit "de- 
rives much of its power from connection with the pastoral 
work." The science of pastoral theology, which relates to the 
practical duties of the ministerial office, should be studied with 
as much care as any branch in the whole system of theology. 
We have many able ministers, but the number of good pastors 
is not nearly so great. One of the main causes of ministerial 
inefficiency is that the pastoral work is not more intimately con- 



TEE MINISTRY 347 

nected with the pulpit ministrations. Paul, in I. Cor. 4:15, 
says, u For though ye should have ten thousand tutors in Christ, 
yet have ye not many fathers." So the church to-day is fairly 
well supplied with teachers, but the crying need is for more 
pastors. 

A minister should not only study to prepare a discourse, but 
to prepare such a discourse as will feed the flock ; and, in order 
to do this successfully, he must know the needs of his people. 
And even then there are cases which "cannot, in all their minute 
and diversified forms, be fully treated in the pulpit." Here 
arises one of the necessities for pastoral work. He must go 
among his people, and, so far as possible, form the personal ac- 
quaintance of each member of his congregation, and their condi- 
tion spiritually. Some may be growing careless and formal; 
some may be under manifold temptations, while others may be 
depressed, owing to disappointments, losses, or bereavements. 
All such need the personal counsel, direction, and sympathy of 
the pastor. Pastors gain much by reading and studying good 
books; but he who makes his congregation a booh and studies 
it with care will gather more material for the pulpit than what 
he obtains from any book, except the Bible. 

The pastoral work, to be efficient, must be carried forward 
with great prudence. The very appearance of partiality must 
be guarded against. One soul is worth just as much as another. 
Jesus gave himself for all. The redemption price of one soul 
was the same as another. "God is no respecter of persons," and 
it ill becomes a minister of the gospel to show any degree of 
favoritism among his people. "He must shew himself equally 
the friend, the father, the pastor of all, without preferring one 
above another, doing nothing by partiality." The richest faith 
is sometimes found in the poorest hovels. The importance of 
the pastoral work, if prudently carried forward, can scarcely be 
overestimated. Both pastor and people share in its benefits. In 



348 CHE1BTIAN THEOLOGY 

going among his people lie will gain their confidence, and will 
become acquainted with their trials and difficulties, and can give 
counsel and advice such as he could not give from the pulpit. 
There is often a great lack of sympathy between the pastor and 
his people, which is largely due to the neglect of pastoral work. 
There are instances not a few where the pastor and most of his 
people are comparative strangers to each other. How can such 
a pastor feed his flock, when he knows so little about their actual 
needs I Our Lord shows the relation of a good shepherd to his 
people: (1) "He goeth before them." (2) He "leadeth them 
out." (3) "He calleth his own sheep by name'' (John 10: 
1-5.) ~No one can estimate the moral strength of a congregation 
where the sympathy and good will of the pastor and his people 
are mutual, and the only way to create and maintain sympathy 
and good will is by pastoral work. 

It may be a question with some as to the extent of the pastoral 
intercourse. Should it be confined to the members of the 
church? We think not. So far as time and strength will 
permit, those outside of the pale of the church should be 
called upon, especially those who attend the public services 
in the sanctuary. Many souls have been won to Christ in this 
manner. 

So far as possible, the pastoral work should be reduced to a. 
system. It will not do to leave it to the caprice of the moment, 
nor to be set aside by worldly interruptions. "Fixed hours of 
the day, especially in towns and cities, should be devoted to it 
with the same conscientious determination as to the pulpit prep- 
aration." Whoever imagines that the work of a faithful minis- 
ter is light and easy knows but little about it. Some may make- 
it easy, but all that do the work faithfully and well will have 
little time for anything else. The careless must be admonished ; 
the weak must be strengthened ; the tempted must be lifted up ; 
the depressed in spirit must be encouraged ; the bereaved must 



THE MINISTRY 349 

be comforted ; the sick must be visited. Then the children and 
young people must be looked after, and the spirit of Christian 
unity must be preserved among his people. Besides all this, he 
must have time for study and the preparation of his sermons. 
Turning to II. Tim. 2 : 15, we read, "Give diligence to present 
thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be 
ashamed, handling aright the word of truth." Then, in chapter 
4 : 2, 5, we read, "Preach the word ; be instant in season, out of 
season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and 
teaching." "But be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, 
-do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry." A minister 
who carries out practically these instructions will have work for 
the head, heart, hands, and feet. 

Concerning the time and order to be observed in a pastoral 
visit, no definite plan can be laid down. Circumstances with 
families are so varied that what would be proper in one family 
would be quite out of order in another. A minister is supposed 
to have good common sense, and if he has this he will take in 
the situation of the family at once. In some cases it would be 
better not to make it a pastoral visit, but to arrange to call at 
another time. As a rule, a pastoral visit ought to be short, not 
occupying more than from ten to fifteen minutes. Read a short 
Scripture lesson, offer a brief prayer, and speak a few words 
to each member of the family. In almost every instance the 
moral effect will be better than if the time were prolonged to 
an hour. "No one will deny the pastor's right to make social 
visits among his people, but a pastoral visit, while it is not un- 
social, is peculiar to itself. The spiritual concerns of the family 
are, and should be, the one object in a pastoral visit. 

But our limits will not permit us to give in detail anything 
approximating a complete scheme of pastoral work. Its nature, 
importance, and necessity furnish material upon which volumes 
may be written. Lest some might think that we place too high 



350 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

an estimate upon pastoral work, we will close this brief review 
with a few quotations from eminent men: 

Dr. Doddridge said : "I have many cares and troubles ; may 
God forgive me, that I am so apt to forget those of the pastoral 
office. My heart does not upbraid me with having kept back 
anything profitable to my people. But I fear I have not fol- 
lowed them sufficiently with domestic and personal exhorta- 
tion." Dr. Leighton, when he retired from the active work of 
the ministry, said, "Were I again to be a parish minister, T 
would follow sinners to their homes, and even to their ale^ 
houses." Osterwald expresses his surprise that a Christian min- 
ister can satisfy his own conscience without a diligent parochial 
ministration. Matthew Henry says, "Acquaint yourselves with 
the state of your people's souls — their temptations, their in- 
firmities ; you will then know the better how to preach to them" 
Professor Miller, in his letters, says, "Rely on it, he who hopes 
to discharge the duties of the pulpit only, appropriately, season- 
ably, to the greatest advantage of his flock, without being much 
with them, entertains a hope which is perfectly unreasonable, 
and will certainly be disappointed." An old divine said, "A 
preacher has three books to study — the Bible, himself, and the 
people." 

John Rogers, of Dedham, said, "I am too backward to private 
visiting of neighbors at their houses, which neglect is very in- 
jurious, for from this cause their love to me cannot be so great 
as it would be, nor am I as well acquainted with their particular 
states, and therefore cannot speak so fitly to them as I might." 
Archbishop Seeker said, "A chief reason why we have so little 
hold upon our people is that we converse so little as watchmen 
over their souls." Dr. Witherspoon says, "We may gratify our 
vanity by preaching, but diligence in private can scarcely arise 
from anything but a sense of duty." 

Dr. Bridges says: "To acquaint ourselves with the various 



TEE MINISTRY 351 

wants of our people ; to win their affections ; to identify our* 
selves with their spiritual interests, in tender sympathy and 
ministerial obligation; to do this with the constancy, serious- 
ness, and fervid energy which the matter requires, is indeed a 
work of industry, patience, and self-denial. And yet how else 
can we 'make full proof of our ministry' but by ready obedience 
to the injunctions, 'Watch thou in all things; do the work of 
an evangelist.' " 

"The true position of a Christian pastor is that of a parent 
walking among his children, maintaining indeed the authority 
and reverence, but carefully securing along with it the love and 
confidence that belongs to this endearing relation. He is always 
to be found in his own house, or met with among the folds of 
his flock, encouraging, warning, directing, instructing-, as a 
counselor, ready to advise, as a friend to aid, sympathize, and 
console ; with the affection of a mother to lift up the weak, with 
'the long-suffering' of a father to 'reprove, rebuke, and exhort.' 
Such a one, like Bishop Wilson in the Isle of Man, Oberlin in 
the Bau de la Roche, or the Apostolical Pastor of the High 
Alps (Felix jSTeff), gradually bears down all opposition — really 
lives in the hearts of his people, and will do more for their tem- 
poral and spiritual welfare than men of the most splendid tal- 
ents and commanding eloquence." 



CHAPTER XLI. 

WRITTEN CREEDS— DISCIPLINES. 

Creed, from the Latin word credo (I believe), is "a form of 
words in which the articles of faith are comprehended." They 
are sometimes called symbols or symbolic books — "an abstract 
or compendium of faith or doctrine, a summary of the articles 
of religion." Confessions of faith differ from creeds in this, 
that they are usually more elaborate. A creed, or confession of 
faith, may represent the church universal, such as the Apostles' 
Creed, or it may represent the cardinal doctrine of a single 
denomination, as the Westminster Confession represents the 
faith of the Presbyterian Church. 

The Bible contains all the doctrines of Christianity, though 
they are not to be found in any one chapter or book, but are scat- 
tered up and down through the Holy Scriptures. A creed, or 
confession of faith, is intended to be a compendious view of 
these fundamental truths, and to "act as a basis of ecclesiastical 
fellowship among those so nearly agreed as to be able to labor 
together in harmony." 

We have no certain data as to the time when the first creed 
was formulated. What is known as the Apostles' Creed is sup- 
posed to be the most ancient. It was doubtless commenced in 
the early part of the third century, but, according to Dr. Schaff, 
who is recognized as authority on creeds, it was not completed 
until the beginning of the fifth century. The Nicene Creed was 
formulated at the first general council at Nice in 325. It was 
subsequently revised, and adopted finally at the second general 
council which convened in Constantinople in 381. This makes 
the completion of the Nicene Creed from thirty to fifty years 
earlier than the completion of the Apostles , Creed. The 



WRITTEN CREEDS— DISCIPLINES 353 

xlthanasian Creed is supposed to have been first formulated in 
the fifth century, but was not completed until the early part of 
the eighth century. By whom it was first written is not known. 
Some ascribe it to Athanasius himself, who was bishop of Alex- 
andria. Others ascribe it to Hilary, bishop of Aries, and still 
others to Vigilius Tapsensis. It is supposed to have originated 
in the School of Augustine, but by whom finally written out is 
not known. These are the three great creeds of Christendom. 
Besides these we have some "ancient forms and scattered re- 
mains of creeds," but nothing approaching completion. We 
have (1) "the form of apostolic doctrine collected by Origen; 
(2) a fragment of a creed preserved by Tertullian; (3) a rem- 
nant of a creed in the works of Cyprian; (4) a creed composed 
bj Gregory for the use of his own church; (5) the creed of 
Lucian the martyr; (6) the creed of the apostolic Constitu- 
tions." 

Those who oppose and denounce written creeds and disci- 
plines claim that the Bible alone is the standard of faith and 
practice. To this general proposition all Protestant Christians 
readily consent. I know of no Protestant denomination which 
has adopted a creed as a substitute for the Bible. They are not 
to be reckoned as a source of theology, but a simple "form of 
words in which the articles of faith are comprehended." The 
question to be decided is this, Who has the right to interpret the 
sacred Scriptures \ The fact should not be overlooked that who- 
ever undertakes to teach by interpreting or explaining the 
Scriptures is thereby announcing his creed. If he is honest and 
fit to teach, he teaches what he believes. What is that but his 
creed ? If creeds are wrong within themselves, then it is wrong 
for any man to teach by explaining the Scriptures. 

Those who insist that the Scriptures must be taken just as 
they read have no right to put any interpretation upon them. 
They should simply stand up in the pulpit and read the Word. 

23 



354 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

But do they ? No. They read a portion of the Word, and then 
proceed to explain and interpret in the same manner as those 
who have subscribed to a written creed. 

Every man has a right to read, study, and interpret the Scrip- 
tures the best he can. No Protestant Christian will question 
this right. Now the question comes up in this form, Has he who 
reads and studies the Holy Scriptures a right to communicate 
his understanding of them to others ? Whoever denies this right 
must also deny the right of any and every man to preach, write, 
or in any way communicate his views on the Holy Scriptures to 
others. Every man that teaches by writing, or in any other 
way, his views of any part of the Bible is advancing a creed — 
teaching what he believes. 

Creeds and confessions are not to be considered sources of 
theology. Dr. Miley says, "They embody the results of much 
prefatory work, and furnish much valuable material, but they 
have no authoritative quality, and therefore cannot be reckoned 
a source of theology." Van Osterzes says : "The confessional 
writings of the church (fons secundarius) cannot possibly be 
placed on a line with Holy Scripture, but must, on the contrary, 
be tested by, and, if necessary, altered according to, this latter. 
They contain no law for, but are expressions of, the belief which 
the Christian church, since the earliest times, has constantly con- 
fessed." Dr. Smith, in his introduction to Christian theology, 
says : "Confessions are the voice of the church, to which Christ 
promised his Spirit. But neither experience nor confessions 
can create new doctrines." This is the common view enter- 
tained by all Protestant denominations which have adopted 
written creeds and disciplines. 

Those who object to creeds, or written confessions of faith, 
are continually contradicting themselves. They say that the 
New Testament is the only standard of faith and practice. The 
great body of Protestant Christians hold the same view. 



WRITTEN CREEDS— DISCIPLINES 355 

Wherein, then, lies the difference ? Simply in this, that the one 
is written, and the other is oral. Those who favor creeds have 
written out what they understand to be the great central truths 
of the Bible, while those who oppose creeds simply tesch what 
they believe. They insist that the Bible alone is the one only 
standard of faith and practice. This sounds well, but it is not 
the Bible alone, but the Bible as they interpret it. Every man 
that teaches, writes a book or tract, or expresses an opinion on 
any point of the Bible is thereby advancing a creed — it is what 
he believes. The Apostles' Creed begins thus, "I believe in God 
the Father Almighty/' The ISTicene Creed begins, "I believe 
in one God the Father Almighty/' This is called creed, and so 
it is — "I believe/' If a man in the pulpit says, "I believe in 
God the Father Almighty, and in Jesus Christ the Saviour of 
all men, and especially of them that believe," that is so much of 
his creed, and it is the same whether written or spoken. 

The adoption of a written creed is not to take the place of the 
Bible; it is only a declaration of what the Scriptures are 
believed to teach. Oral opinions of what the Scriptures are be- 
lieved to teach are just as much a creed as if they were printed 
in a book. "The correct idea of a creed," says Dr. Kalston, "is 
not that it is intended as a substitute for God's Book, or some- 
thing superior, or even equal to it, but merely that it is a brief 
and plain abstract, or summary, of the most important doctrines 
and duties which the denomination setting them forth believes 
to be plainly taught in the Holy Scriptures." The consciences 
of men are bound by creeds and confessions only so far as they 
are scriptural, and then only by their voluntarily subscribing 
to them. It is difficult to understand how a Christian organiza- 
tion can exist without an oral, or written, creed. "Every asso- 
ciation, whether moral, political, or religious, which stands for 
anything, will, in one way or another, make formal declarations 
of what it holds." 



356 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

The Scriptures have failed to secure uniformity in faith and 
practice among professed Christians. This is not the fault of 
written creeds, for this same difference may be found among 
those who persistently oppose written creeds. It is a fact that 
churches which reject and denoimce all written creeds are as far 
apart as those who have adopted them. Creed or no creed, men 
do, always have, and always will, differ in their opinions — at 
least until the millennium. Written creeds did not produce this 
difference of opinion; the difference must have existed before 
the creeds were written, else they never would have been writ- 
ten. If all men understood the Scriptures to teach the same 
thing, there would be no written creeds. But they do not see 
alike, not even those who denounce creeds. Two men, or a dozen 
men, may understand the Scriptures to teach certain funda- 
mental doctrines, and favor certain general principles of church 
government. They mutually agree, and write out their under- 
standing of the Scriptures. Then they organize themselves into 
a society, or church, and publish to the world their articles of 
faith and views of church government. Is there anything schis- 
matical in this ? Certainly not. To others who may see and 
understand the Scriptures as they do, they extend the privilege 
of uniting with them. There is nothing compulsory about it ; 
men act for themselves. They can join them or not, just as 
they choose. This is the only way to secure a reasonable amount 
of peace and harmony in a visible church organization. Men 
of pure motives and sound religious principles are perfectly 
willing that the whole world should know what they believe, 
and, if need be, give a reason of the hope that is within them. 
"There is an intangibility about unwritten doctrines and forms 
of discipline which is better adapted to the advocates of error 
than to the defenders of truth." 

The influence of creeds and confessions has tended to unify 
rather than to create schisms and heresies. The Apostles' Creed 



WRITTEN CREEDS— DISCIPLINES 357 

has done vastly more to unify the faith of the Christian church 
than all that has ever been said and done by those opposed to 
creeds. The Asian heresy was in a measure suppressed by the 
adoption of the Nicene Creed ; and later, by an addition to that 
creed, the heresy of Macedonius, concerning the proper divinity 
of the Holy Ghost, was rejected. "At Nice the creed was made 
to assert the proper divinity of Christ ; at Constantinople, that 
of the Holy Ghost ; at Ephesus, that the divine and human na- 
ture of Christ are united in one person ; and at Chalcedon, that 
both natures remain distinct, and that the humanity is not lost 
nor absorbed in the divinity." 

Thus these great fundamental doctrines incorporated in the 
creeds of the church in its early history remain in the great body^ 
of the Protestant Church to-day. The lapse of fourteen hun- 
dred years has not materially changed the faith of the orthodox 
church in the great cardinal doctrines. 

If all the cardinal doctrines of Christianity were clearly 
stated in one chapter in the New Testament, there would be no 
great necessity for creeds or confessions; but we do not find it 
thus. They are scattered up and down throughout the 
whole Scriptures. If any form of church government, in all 
necessary details, and suitable for all times and all places, was 
specifically given in the New Testament, there would be no 
necessity for disciplines containing rules of order; but we do 
not find it thus ; hence, the necessity for creeds and disciplines. 

"Discipline is to a church what order and regularity are to* 
a family, or the maintaining of government and the adminis- 
tration of law to a nation ; ... it is designed to effect the 
observance of those means by which the holiness, comfort, and. 
usefulness of Christians may be preserved and improved; to 
exhibit the influence of the Christian religion in producing all 
that is excellent, amiable, and beneficial; to secure the fulfill- 
ment of relative obligations of church union; to attract into 



358 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

such union persons whose minds and characters are governed 
by evangelical truth and undissenibled piety; and to remove 
from the visible church of the faithful such as prove themselves 
to be unworthy of a place among the followers of Christ." How 
is such harmony, peace, and purity to be even approximately 
maintained in a visible church organization without some defi- 
nite rules and regulations ? And wherein is the moral wrong in 
having such rules and regulations printed in a book and called 
a discipline? 

As an illustration of the practical workings and operations 
of those who denounce all written creeds and disciplines, we will 
submit some pertinent remarks made by Dr. Ralston, in his 
"Elements of Divinity" : "The two great principles of which 
they boast are, first, 'no human creed' ; second, 'liberty of con- 
science to all.' How beautifully are these hallowed principles 
exhibited in their dealings with candidates for baptism and 
church membership! Do they admit them to baptism in the 
form which alone can satisfy the conscience of the candidate? 
Far from it. The honest candidate, at the very threshold of 
this no-creed organization, learns that all he heard about 'the 
New Testament alone/ and 'every one his own interpreter* was 
but empty parade. According to the history of this matter, 
there is no baptism allowed to the candidate, unless he be im- 
mersed. He finds that liberty of conscience means not his con- 
science, but that of the administrator — that is, he may read the 
New Testament and be governed by it alone till he seeks ad- 
mission into a no-creed church ; but that very moment he meets 
a demonstration that the law with this party is not the New 
Testament alone, but the ~New Testament as they, the no-creed 
party interpret it." 

On the reception and rejection of members some form, or rule, 
must be prescribed. If there is no rule, no standard, no under- 
standing, men of all beliefs would be joined together. There is 



WRITTEN CREEDS— DISCIPLINES 359 

no church calling itself Christian that will admit to church fel- 
lowship all who claim to believe and practice according to their 
own understanding of the Scriptures. Now, whenever a church, 
or congregation, rejects any man on account of anything he may 
believe, according to his understanding of the Scriptures, that 
moment they set up a creed. 

Whenever those churches which reject creeds and disciplines 
will flow together and form one body of Christians, whose faith 
and practice shall all be in perfect harmony, it will then be time 
to challenge the right of written creeds and disciplines. 

The peace, harmony, strength, and usefulness of any body of 
Christians will be largely enhanced by a written declaration of 
their faith and practice. To carry forward the great work of 
preaching the gospel to every creature ; the order of conducting 
the necessary business of a church, as well as the manner of 
conducting public worship, all require some plan, some pre- 
arrangement, written or understood, and in either case it is a 
creed. If the New Testament prescribed in minute detail a 
form of church government, a written discipline would not be 
necessary touching that matter. If the New Testament pre- 
scribed in minute detail all the forms of worship, a discipline 
would not be necessary in relation to that matter. But when 
we turn to the New Testament, we find only general principles 
laid down, leaving the minute details to the judgment of Chris- 
tian men to be arranged "as the exigencies of time, place, 
and circumstances should dictate to be most expedient." 
Hence the necessity for some written or oral rule. And, as a 
matter of conscience to those within and without, it is certainly 
hetter that articles of faith and forms of government be printed 
in a book, only so that nothing be adopted which is contrary to 
any one of the general principles laid down in the New Testa- 
ment. 



CHAPTER XLIL 

HUSBANDS AND WIVES. 

Marbiage is a contract by which a man is joined to one 
woman for life. It was instituted by the Creator himself and 
founded on the original constitution of the sexes. When God 
created man, he said, "It is not good that the man should be 
alone ; I will make him an help meet for him" (Gen. 2 : 18). 

When Eve was formed and brought to Adam, he said, "This 
is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be 
called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore 
shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave 
unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2: 23, 24). 
In this passage we have some facts set forth which should be 
carefully considered: (1) A man shall leave father and 
mother, and shall cleave to his wife. This shows that the rela- 
tion between husband and wife is more intimate than can sub- 
sist between parent and child. (2) "They shall be one flesh;" 
"one body, having no separate or independent rights." This is 
true in all marriages which God approves. The marriage rela- 
tion should alwavs be entered into with deliberation and mutual 
t/ 

consent. 

2. Marriage is both a civil and a religious institution. The 
public use of the institution of marriage, according to Mr. 
Paley, is to promote the following benefits: "(1) The private 
comfort of individuals. (2) The production of the greatest 
number of healthy children, their better education, and the mak- 
ing of due provisions for their settlement in life. (3) The peace 
of human society, by assigning one woman to one man, and pro- 
tecting his exclusive right by sanction of morality and law. 
(4) The better government of society, by distributing the com- 
munity into separate families, and appointing over each the 



HUSBANDS AND WIVES 361 

authority of master of a family, which has more actual influence 
than all civil authority put together. (5) The additional se- 
curity which the state receives for the good behavior of its citi- 
zens from the solicitude they feel for the welfare of their chil- 
dren, and from their being confined to permanent habitations. 
(6) The encouragement of industry." 

"God setteth the solitary in families" (Ps. 68: 6). God is 
the author of marriage. In his wisdom he saw that it was best 
that the race should be divided up into families — better by far 
than to live promiscuously, as the beasts of the field. Destroy 
the marriage relation, as some are anxious to do, and you will 
break up all the family ties, and the race of man would very 
soon go down into a state little better than that of beasts. 

3. The origin of the institution of marriage clearly shows 
that the design was the union of one man with one woman. 
Polygamy never grew out of the original design of marriage. 
It was, and is, a perversion of the institution. It was tolerated 
under the law, as Moses tolerated divorce. It grew out of the 
corruption of human society. The first marriage was between 
one man and one woman. If God had intended that one man 
should have more than one woman, he would have so arranged 
in the beginning by creating two or more women for Adam. 
The words of Adam show what the divine purpose was. "There- 
fore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall 
cleave unto his wife [not his wives] : and they shall be one 
flesh." Christ referred to this in the use of such terms as would 
preclude the idea of a plurality of wives. "For this cause shall 
a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife ; 
and the twain shall become one flesh" (Matt. 19 : 5). Twain 
does not mean four nor six, but two. The marriage relation is 
very often referred to in both the Old and the New Testament, 
but always in such terms as imply only two persons, as husband 
and wife. 



362 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

4. Marriage, as originally designed by the Creator, is to be 
a permanent union of two willing and loving hearts, to be dis- 
solved by death alone. "What therefore God hath joined to- 
gether, let not man put asunder." Concerning divorce as tol- 
erated under the law of Moses, that was a departure from the 
original design. The language of Christ to the Pharisees very 
plainly shows that it grew out of the corruption of human so- 
ciety; "Moses for your hardness of heart suffered you to put 
away your wives : but from the beginning it hath not been so." 

In case either party is guilty of fornication, the innocent 
party is thereby freed from the obligation of marriage, and may 
obtain a divorce. This Christ sets forth in Matt. 19 : 9. This 
is the only cause for obtaining a divorce. Our Lord shows that 
marriage is indissoluble, except in this one case. There are 
many reasons why the marriage relation should be just as our 
Saviour taught — "the twain shall become one flesh." 

There is in society a growing looseness on the matter of di- 
vorce. For almost any cause a man or woman may obtain a 
divorce. Dr. Paley says, "Inferior causes may justify the 
separation of husband and wife, although they will not authorize 
such a dissolution of the marriage contract as would leave either 
at liberty to marry again, for it is in that liberty the dan- 
ger and mischief of divorce principally consist." Many di- 
vorces are obtained for the sole purpose of remarrying. If the 
civil law forbade the remarriage of all divorced persons, ex- 
cept for the one cause of adultery, the number of divorces would 
be materially decreased. 

5. The nature of the marriage relation implies and includes 
mutual affection. Where this is wanting, the relation, although 
legal in form, is not what the Creator intended it should be. 
To make the union complete there must be "mutual fidelity and 
affection." Beauty, money, honor, and position are not to be 
compared with mutual affection. Where this affection exists 



HUSBANDS AND WIVES 363 

each party will seek to promote the happiness of the other. 
"The terms of this partnership are all founded in equal love. 
Each is under the most sacred obligation to cultivate and pre- 
serve inviolate toward the other that exclusive affection which 
is implied in conjugal fidelity and chastity." 

6. Marriage promotes chastity. Paul says, "Marriage is 
honourable, and the bed undefiled." By means of this conjugal 
relation, fornication and seduction are largely prevented. This 
state, therefore, should be highly esteemed as one of God's own 
institutions, and "calculated to produce the best interests of 
mankind." The promiscuous intercourse of the sexes is not only 
brutal in its nature, but contrary to the happiness and peace of 
mankind. Such is the honor, dignity, and purity of this rela- 
tion as ordained of God, that it is figuratively used to represent 
the relation between Christ and the church. (Eph. 5: 22-29.) 
The union between one man and one woman is "honourable in 
all," provided each party is true and faithful in this relation. 

7. The marriage relation, as instituted by the Creator, con- 
stitutes the husband the head of the family. This is very clearly 
set forth in the Scriptures. (Eph. 5 : 22-33 ; I. Pet. 3:1, 7 ; 
Col. 3 : 18, 19.) The husband, as the head of the family, is to 
guard, protect, love, and comfort his wife. The wife is to rev- 
erence, honor, and obey her husband. In all cases where mutual 
fidelity and affection exist between husband and wife, the ob- 
servance of all the divine precepts laid down in God's Word will 
be a real pleasure, and tend only to increase the mutual affection. 

When God instituted the marriage relation he might have 
made the wife the head of the family, but he chose to do other- 
wise. In all organized societies, whether in church or state, 
each must have a head — some responsible party ; so it must be 
in the family — there must be a head, otherwise there will be 
constant confusion. Because the husband is made the head of 
the family, and the wife is required to honor and obey, we are 



364 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

not thence to conclude that servile subjection, or conjugal op- 
pression is taught, for in return the husband is to love, guard, 
protect, and comfort his wife. If he does this it will be very 
far removed from anything like oppression. "Where the union 
is founded upon that mutual love which should hallow the con- 
jugal bond, there is no disquieting restraint, nothing displeasing 
or servile in connection with these duties, but all becomes a 
sweet and loving pleasure — a perennial source of enjoyment and 
bliss." Such a "marriage is honourable in all" — honorable be- 
tween the parties, honorable in society, and in the sight of God. 

It may not be amiss to emphasize one thought : In the pres- 
ent state of society there is a growing restlessness under the idea 
of the word "obey" but this grows out of a mistaken idea of the 
marriage relation. Marriage, such as God approves, is between 
parties of mutual love and affection. Each family must have a 
head. God saw proper to make the man the head. Now where 
mutual love and affection exist between husband and wife no 
possible harm can grow out of this relation. He is to love, 
guard, protect, and comfort his wife, and if he does this there 
will be nothing oppressive or unreasonable in his demands. 
Upon the husband, as the head of the family, rests the responsi- 
bility of providing for their comfort. "But if any provideth 
not for his own, and specially his own household, he hath denied 
the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever" (I. Tim. 5:8). 
This, doubtless, is one reason why the husband is made the head 
of the family. He is better able to do this than the wife. 

It is strange, but nevertheless true, that mankind is ever in- 
clined to adopt some plan or method different from God's order. 
If God's order in the marriage relation alone were adopted, and 
practically carried out, much of the corruption and unrest in 
society would cease. God's order is always and eternally right, 
and man is only right when he is walking in the ways of his 
commandments. "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice/' 



CHAPTER XLIIL 

PARENTS AND CHILDREN. 

The relation of parents and children includes many duties 
and involves very heavy responsibilities. Marriage was insti- 
tuted by the Creator himself, and so we may say that families 
are ordained of God ; that is, it is God's plan for the happiness 
and comfort of mankind. "God setteth the solitary in families." 
A family where love controls is a type of heaven. 

I. Duty of 'parents to children. We can name only a few 
of the leading duties of parents : 

1. Protection. Children are born into the world altogether 
helpless. The duty of parents to protect and help their children 
is so perfectly natural and reasonable that it requires no special 
argument to prove it. In this protection is included tender 
care in providing whatever is necessary for their benefit and 
comfort. The treatment of a child should be tender and gentle. 
This care has to be continued for a number of years. So far as 
it is possible, parents should provide suitable food and cloth- 
ing for their children. "But if any provideth not for his own, 
and specially his own household, he hath denied the faith, 
and is worse than an unbeliever" (I. Tim. 5: 8). This is not 
to be construed so as to imply impossibilities. Parents some- 
times, from sickness and misfortunes, are not able to provide all 
the necessary comforts for their children. The meaning is, that 
they must use all lawful means in their power to provide for 
their family. 

2. Parental love is a duty prescribed in the Word of God. 
But for the demoralizing effect of sin, a divine precept on 
parental love would not have been necessary, because nature it- 
self a if not perverted, would make it sufficiently plain. "Can a 



366 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have com- 
passion on the son of her womb V 9 Unnatural and unreasonable 
as it is, some do forget and turn away from their own offspring. 
Others are cruel to their children. Parental love is beautifully 
set forth in the following texts : "And I will spare them, as a 
man spareth his own son that serveth him" (Mai. 3 : 17). "Like 
as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that 
fear him" (Ps. 103 : 13). "And of which of you that is a father 
shall his son ask a loaf, and he give him a stone ?" (Luke 
11:11.) 

3. It is the duty of parents, as far as possible, to educate 
their children. This may be considered as threefold in its na- 
ture; namely, physical, mental, and moral. Children should 
be instructed concerning the laws of health, so as to secure, as 
far as possible, the highest physical development. All the means 
possible should be used to assist in developing the mental pow- 
ers. This, on the part of many parents who have ample means, 
is shamefully neglected. Then, above everything, the heart, or 
moral nature, should be carefully looked after. "Train up a 
child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will 
not depart from it" (Prov. 22: 6). By this we are taught that 
parents, by precept and example, should instruct their children 
concerning the duties, dangers, and blessings of life. Paul's 
instruction to parents is to bring up their children in the nur- 
ture and admonition of the Lord. Proper efforts on the 
part of parents to bring up their children in the fear of 
the Lord seldom fail in bringing about good results. It may 
not always be seen during the life of the parents, but bread thus 
cast upon the waters will most likely be gathered some time. 
Parents should not be discouraged, although they may not see 
the fruit of their labor in time. God will watch the good seed 
sown in the heart of the child. 

The venerable Dr. Spring said, "The first affecting thought 



PARENTS AND CHILDREN 367 

to me on the death of my parents was, that I had lost their 
prayers J" The son of an aged minister had lived a life of dissi- 
pation for many years, notwithstanding the earnest prayers of 
his parent, but the faith of the good father remained firm, and 
so he passed away. Five years after, that son was saved. So it 
has often occurred. Fervent, earnest prayers are answered long 
after the ones who offered them have gone to their reward. 

Parents do well in seeking to provide a comfortable and 
happy settlement in life for their children. But this should not 
be done at the sacrifice of their education. Let the cultivation 
of the intellectual and moral powers always be first in impor- 
tance. 

4. Parental government. It is not possible to prescribe any 
set rules in detail, for children differ so widely in their tempera- 
ments that what would result well in one case would be ruinous 
in another. This difference in temperament is often found in 
the same family. We can, therefore, do no more than suggest 
some general rules. 

Dr. Ware says, "Good common sense, doubtless, is often better 
than all set rules, but the thing is to have it." Parents must 
not overlook the fact that child nature differs from that of 
adults. It is not only unwise, but sinful to attempt to crush 
that nature. It should be carefully watched over and trained ; 
and here is where parents will find room for the exercise of 
"good common sense." General rules are not to be ignored, 
neither should they, under all circumstances, be arbitrarily en- 
forced. There should be a wise, just, and reasonable system of 
family laws, such as love would suggest as the very best means 
to accomplish the desired end. Family government from first 
to last should be mild, hind, and firm. 

In no age of the world have the difficulties in the way of train- 
ing children properly been greater than now. While the oppor- 
tunities for mental, physical, and moral culture and develop- 



WS CHRISTIAN. THEOLOGY 

ment were never better than now, the evil influences at work in 
society were never so formidable as now. The people en masse 
seem to be drunken with the love of pleasure and amusements. 
Everything is moving rapidly, so that but little time is devoted 
to serious thought. Children catch the spirit of the times, and 
seek, by every possible device, to break away from parental re- 
straints. All the affairs of both church and state will soon be 
in the hands of those who are now children. In full view of the 
oncoming responsibility which so soon will fall upon the chil- 
dren of to-day, every possible effort should be made to prepare 
them for it. While, as already intimated, family government 
should not be harsh nor tyrannical, yet a mixture of the old 
Puritan ideas injected into the family government of to-day 
would be an improvement. 

II. Duty of children to parents. We can do but little 
more than name a few of the principal duties of children to their 
parents. The subject is so vast that volumes might be written 
upon it. So much is involved in it that God made it the fifth 
commandment, which he wrote with his own finger upon a table 
of stone, "Honour thy father and thy mother/' 

As it is made the duty of husbands to love their wives, and of 
wives to love their husbands, and of parents to love their chil- 
dren, so it is made the duty of children to love their parents. 
There is nothing in all the range of human thought more reason- 
able than that children should love their parents. It is suggested 
from the very nature of the parental offices. Consider their care 
over us, and for us, when we were not able to care for ourselves. 
For many years they toiled for us by night and day. They stood 
around us as guards and night-watches. "They grieved at our 
griefs, and rejoiced at our joys." Are they not therefore en- 
titled to our love ? Should they not be most tenderly loved as 
parents ? 

Children should not only love their parents, but they should 



PARENTS AND CHILDREN 369 

reverence them. Concerning the reverence due to parents, Mr. 
Watson says, "It consists in that honorable esteem of parents 
which children ought to cherish in their hearts, and from which 
springs, on the one hand, the desire to please, and on the other, 
the fear to offend. 7 ' 

The duty of children to reverence their parents is evidently 

set forth in the Scriptures: "Honour thy father and thy 

mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the 

Lord thy God giveth thee" (Ex. 20: 12). "Cursed be he that 

' setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people 

^shall say, Amen" (Deut. 27 : 16). "A fool despiseth his father's 

correction: but he that regardeth reproof getteth prudence" 

' (Prov. 15 : 5). 

Children are required to obey their parents. It is universally 
admitted that there should be a wise and just system of family 
laws, and this, of course, implies that some one must enforce the 
laws. "Families are provinces in God's kingdom, and family 
government is a branch of the divine government." Parents 
are held responsible in a large degree for the government in 
their respective provinces. All just and reasonable require- 
ments should be obeyed. The peace, comfort, and welfare of 
the family depend largely upon the obedience that children 
render to their parents. With this truth the Word of God will 
accord: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord : for this is 
right" (Eph. 6:1). "Children, obey your parents in all things, 
for this is well-pleasing in the Lord" (Col. 3: 20). In all re- 
quirements not contrary to the Word of God, children should 
obey their parents. God, who set the "solitary in families," re- 
quires this obedience, and, when lovingly and cheerfully ren- 
dered, it is well-pleasing in his sight. Let parents and children 
carefully consider their relations to each other and their duties 
to each other. Iso sight more pleasant greets the eye than a 
family where love and obedience reign supreme. 

24 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

CIVIL GOVERNMENT. 

Civil government is ordained of God, and, in some form, is 
as old as the human family. From the origin of civil govern- 
ment until now, it has undergone many changes. In the early 
history of mankind, it existed in patriarchal form, but in the 
progress of nations it has become refined and vastly improved. 
Often as the form of civil government may have been changed, 
it has never been lost. We shall not undertake to prove that 
this or that particular form of civil government is ordained of 
God, but that civil government in itself is of God. Civil govern- 
ment is based upon the necessities of human society. "Mankind 
always have, always will, and always must live in society." 
This fact alone proves the imperative necessity for some form 
of civil government. So far as we are able to understand the 
will of the Creator, it seems to be in accordance with his will 
that civil government should exist. With this view the lan- 
guage of the apostle fully accords : "And the powers that be are 
ordained of God. Therefore he that resisteth the power, with- 
standeth the ordinance of God" (Rom. 13:1, 2). Upon this 
text, Dr. Clarke says, "As God is the origin of all power, and 
the Supreme Governor of the universe, he delegates authority 
to whomsoever he will, and though in many cases the governor 
himself may not be of God, yet civil government is of him, for 
without this there could be no society, no security, no private 
property; all would be confusion and anarchy, and the habit- 
able world would soon be depopulated." 

Civil governments are usually embraced in four classes; 
namely, (1) monarchial, which is the government by one man; 
(2) aristocratic, which is the government by the chief and prin- 

370 



CIVIL GOVERNMENT 371 

cipal persons in a nation; (3) democratic, which is a govern- 
ment of the people, by the people, and for the people; (4) 
mixed, partaking of two or more forms of civil government as 
they exist. 

I. The end for which civil government was ordained was 
principally for the benefit of the governed. Any principle in 
any form of civil government that does not tend to benefit the 
governed is not of God. The government itself is of God, but 
any wrong principle incorporated into the law is not of God. 
The government of God is for the good of the whole moral uni- 
verse, — angels and men, — so civil government, which is or- 
dained of God, is, and of necessity must be, for the good of all 
the governed. This is the end for which it was ordained. 

A government is simply an agent, deriving its authority from 
society, and the officers are but the organs of such society. 
There are rights which all men are supposed to possess, which 
the government to which they submit is bound to protect. These 
rights are: "Personal security, 'personal liberty, and private 
property." These are inherent rights, which belong to every 
citizen, or member of the compact. "Government is bound to 
defend and protect its citizens from violence, and to secure to 
them the peaceable enjoyment of all their rights." To accom- 
plish this grand end, the legislative department in the govern- 
ment must provide rules, or laws, such as will conform to the- 
general principles laid down in the Word of God. In case of 
litigation between the subjects, the government must arrange a 
plan for rendering righteous judgment ; also, provide and inflict 
penalties, such as are necessary to prevent crime and promote 
good order in society. Equal justice to all is a fundamental 
principle in all correct civil governments. 

The Word of God will throw some light on the nature and 
design of civil government. "For rulers are not a terror to the 
good work, but to the evil. And wouldest thou have no fear of 



372 CHRISTIAN THEOLO GY 

the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise 
from the same: for he is a minister of God to thee for good. 
But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid ; for he beareth not 
the sword in vain : for he is a minister of God, an avenger for 
wrath to him that' doeth evil" (Rom. 13: 3, 4). This passage f 
has direct reference to civil government and civil officers. The 
character of the ruler is set forth in the strongest possible terms. 
He is denominated "a minister of God/' thus showing that 
civil government is of divine appointment. As civil govern- 
ment is of God, the ruler, in the providence of God, comes to the 
supreme authority and acts as the minister of God. He is to 
protect the innocent and punish the guilty. He must see that 
equal justice is meted out to all — rich and poor, high and low. 
He is the minister of God to the innocent for their good, and 
the* minister of God to execute wrath upon evil-doers. This text 
alone proves beyond all controversy the rightful existence of 
civil government. 

II. The duties of the people. It is the imperative duty of 
every citizen to obey the laws of his government. The ruler 
may be a bad man, but "if he makes no attempt to change the 
constitution, nor break the compact between him and the peo- 
ple, there is no legal ground of opposition to his civil authority." 
Submission to legal authority is essential to the very existence 
of civil government. 

Every citizen should cultivate the spirit of true patriotism. 
By this is not meant that he must love every law that may be 
adopted, nor yet every act of those in authority. Wicked men 
may be at the head of a government, and adopt bad laws, but no 
man is justifiable in seeking to destroy a government because 
there are wicked men at the head of it, nor yet because they may 
adopt some bad laws. As a true patriot, he should use his per- 
sonal influence, and all legal means, to have the wrongs corrected 
and good men elected or appointed to rule. 



CIVIL GOVERNMENT 373 

It is the duty of every citizen to assist in sustaining and sup- 
porting his government. This he may do by his influence and 
means. Every citizen should offer prayer for those in authority. 
This was Paul's instruction to Timothy, "I exhort therefore, 
first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgiv- 
ings be made for all men; for kings and all that are in high 
place ; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godli- 
ness and gravity" (I. Tim. 2:1, 2). "It is a positive maxim 
of Christianity to pray for all secular governors ; so it has ever 
been the practice of Christians." Saint Cyprian, in his defense 
before the Roman authority, said, "We [Christians] pray to 
God, not only for ourselves, but for all mankind, and particu- 
larly for the emperors." Tertullian, in his "Apology for Chris- 
tianity," says, "We pray for all emperors, that God may grant 
them long life, a secure government, a prosperous family, vigor- 
ous troops, a faithful senate, and obedient people; that the 
whole world may be in peace ; and that God may grant both to 
Caesar and to every man the accomplishment of their just de- 
sires." Origen said, "We pray for kings and rulers, that, with 
their royal authority, they may be found possessing a wise and 
prudent mind." Christians have always held that civil govern- 
ment is ordained of God, and that it was their duty to pray for 
those in authority. 

It is the duty of citizens to pay tribute, or tax, in proportion 
to their means. Cheating the government is as great a sin as 
cheating a neighbor. "For for this cause ye pay tribute also; 
for they are ministers of God's service, attending continually 
upon this very thing. Render to all their dues : tribute to whom 
tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; 
honour to whom honour" (Rom. 13:6, 7). Our Lord said, 
"Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's ; and 
unto God the things that are God's" (Matt. 22 : 21). The prin- 
ciple laid down in these passages is, that civil government is or- 



374 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

dained of God and should be supported. Those in authority 
must be at very great expense in providing for the comfort and 
safety of the people, and it is just and right "that those in whose 
behalf these expenses are incurred should defray that expense ; 
and hence nothing can be more reasonable than an impartial 
and moderate taxation, by which the expenses of the state may 
be defrayed." 

Because our Lord bade them, "Render unto Caesar the things 
that are Caesar's," we are not thence to infer that he sanctioned 
everything in the Roman government, but simply recognized the 
right of civil government, and the duty of every citizen to obey. 
Dr. Clarke, upon these words of our Lord, says: "While the 
earth is agitated and distracted with the question of political 
rights and wrongs, the question may be asked, 'What does a man 
owe to the civil government under which he lives V Our Lord 
has answered, 'That which is Caesars/ But what is it that is 
Caesar's? (1) Honor, (2) obedience, and (.3) tribute. (1) The 
civil government under which a man lives, and by which he is 
protected, demands his honor and reverence. (2) The laws, 
which are made for the suppression of evil-doers, and the main- 
tenance of good order, which are calculated to promote the bene- 
fit of the whole, and the comfort of the individuals, should be 
religiously obeyed. (3) The government that charges itself 
with the support and defense of the whole, should have its 
unavoidable expenses, however great, repaid by the people, in 
whose behalf they are incurred; therefore, we should pay 
tribute/' 

The end for which civil government was instituted is the bene- 
fit of mankind. It is ordained of God — it is his plan, and hence 
must be right. ~No particular form of civil government is pre- 
scribed in detail in the Scriptures. General principles are 
given, and the fact made known that the "powers that be are 
ordained of God." 



CIVIL GOVE EN ME NT 375 

Men in authority and under authority may think and speak 
lightly of Christianity in connection with civil affairs, yet if the 
principles taught by our Lord were incorporated iu the civil 
code of all nations, there would be a reign of peace and harmony 
such as the world has never witnessed. Swords would be beaten 
into plowshares, spears into pruning-hooks, and nations would 
learn war no more. Evils that disturb the quiet and peace of 
society would be suppressed. Legislators would formulate and 
adopt laws with the one purpose of promoting the highest pos- 
sible good of all, and the executive officers would see that they 
were faithfully applied. One principle would govern both the 
rulers and the ruled — "All things therefore whatsoever ye 
would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto 
them." 



INDEX. 



Adam, fall of, literal, 76. 
Adoption, 176. 

a change of relationship, 177. 

a distinct work, 176. 

blessings and privileges of, 177. 

difference between civil and sa- 
cred, 178. 

dignity and honor of, 178. 

Holy Spirit the active agent in, 
176. 

sonship and heirship substantial- 
ly the same, 176. 

time of, 176. 
Aliens by nature, 177. 
Angels, existence of, 101. 

different orders of. 103. 

employment of. 104. 

nature of, 101. 

number of, 103. 

superior to man, 103. 

time of creation unknown, 102. 
Atheism, leaves man without a guide, 

19. 
Atonement, meaning of, 131. 

Christ as, 140. 

essence of, 132. 

hope of the world. 147. 

in harmony with reason, 146. 

Jewish, sacrificial, 136. 

necessary, 134. 

redemption not atonement, 132. 

results of, 132. 

satisfaction rendered. 131. 

Socinian view of, 133. 

universal, 144. 

vicarious, 135. 
Attributes of God. 21. 

classification of, 21. 

definition of, 21. 

eternity, 23. 

goodness, mercy, love, benevo- 
lence, long-suffering. 31. 

holiness, 28. 

immutability, 27. 

inhere in each other, 30, 31. 

justice, 29. 

omnipotence, 26. 

omnipresence, 25. 

omniscience, 24. 

spirituality, 23. 

truth, 29. 

unity, 22. 
Baptism, 248. 

argument for infant. 257. 

definition of 248. 

design of Christian. 254. 

duty of Christians as to. 250. 

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in, 
54. 

history of infant, 260. 

meaning of Greek word. 251. 

mode not essential, 250, 253. 

mode of Christian, 250. 

proselyte, 258. 



solemn ordinance, 256. 
subjects of Christian, 256. 
what constitutes Christian, 253. 
Benevolence, Christian, 234. 

covetousness the opposite of, 234.. 

definition of, 234. 

founded on the nature of things., 

240. 
importance of, 238. 
means of doing good, 239. 
offerings required, 235. 
reasonableness of, 236. 
systematic, 237. 
Children, education of, 366. 
duty of, 368. 

making provision for, 367. 
religious training of, 366. 
what required of, 368. 
Christ, divinity of. 33, 44, 65. 
all-sufficient Saviour. 47. 
attributes ascribed to, 35. 
claimed equality with the Father,. 

42. 
divine titles of. 34. 
divinity a matter of revelation,. 

33. 
eternity of, 36. 
forgives sin, 39. 
humanity of, 45. 
immutability of, 35. 
manner of life, 46. 
object of worship, 41. 
omnipotent, 36. 
omnipresent, 37. 
omniscient, 38. 

religion of, in affections, 205. 
seed of Abraham, 46. 
sonship of. eternal, 65. 
summary view of, 33. 
to judge the world, 41. 
types and shadows end in, 264. 
work in creation. 38. 
Christianity, evidences of, 112. 

adaptation to the wants of man,. 

126. 
Bolingbroke's estimate of, 128. 
fruits of, 127. 
miracles, evidence of, 120. 
New Testament, authenticity and 

inspiration of, 117. 
Old Testament inspiration. 116. 
proofs of divine origin, 127. 
prophecies fulfilled, proof of, 122. 
success of, 126. 
superhuman origin of, 126. 
Church, definition of, 242. 

conditions of membership, 246. 
general invisible one everywhere, 

244. 245. 
membership in. honorable, 246. 
same under both dispensations,.. 

328. 
Scripture use of term, 242. 
visible, 242. 



377 



378 



INDEX 



visible organization necessary, 
247. 
Church government, 327. 

acts of the apostles imply, 331. 

eminent writers concerning, 334. 

form implied, 328. 

New Testament gives general 
principles, 327. 

New Testament implies, 330. 

language of prophets as to, 329. 

ministry and laity govern, 335. 

necessary, 328. 

organization necessary, 327. 
Civil government, ordained of God, 
370. 

an agent, 371. 

Christ and, 374. 

classes of, 370. 

duties of the people toward, 372. 

necessity for, 370. 

scriptural authority for, 371. 

why ordained, 371. 
Consubstantiation, 266. 
Creeds, written, 352. 

Apostles', 352. 

Athanasian, 49, 64, 353. 

benefits of written — unify rather 
than create schisms, 356. 

correct idea of, 355. 

definition of, 352. 

do not decide opinions, 356. 

fragments of other, 353. 

Nicene, 64, 352. 

not a source of theology, 354. 

not a substitute for the Bible, 
353. 

systematic statements of cardinal 
virtues, 50. 

why necessary, 352. 

written, necessary, 359. 
Depravity, of man, 76, 78. 
Devils, personality and existence of, 
106, 109. 

common belief in, in the time of 
Christ, 107. 

hate mankind, 110. 

influence of, 110. 

Scripture proofs of, 108. 
Divorce, 362. 
Evolution, 21. 
Faith, doctrine defined, 156. 

belief not saving faith, 157. 

gospel faith includes belief and 
trust, 159. 

necessity of, 156. 

progressive, 160. 

saving, gift of God and act of the 
creature, 157. 
Free moral agency, 83. 

consciousness establishes, 85. 

proof from Bible, 86. 

the power to choose, 85. 
Giving, systematic, 237. 
God, existence of, 9. 

adaptation of the sacred Scrip- 
tures to mankind, 19. 

and man, 7. 

a posteriori argument, 3, 12. 

Christians' belief in, 16. 

Cicero's argument, 14. 

definition of the term, 9. 

exact fulfillment of prophecies, 18. 

governs all things, 198. 



harmony of attributes, 313. 

idea of intmitive, 10. 

known by footprints, 14. 

man cannot understand, 202. 

man's idea of, expressed, 11. 

miracles, 18. 

names of, 9. 

natural laws imply existence of, 
17. 

Scripture argument, 18. 

term plural, 68. 

unity of, 63. 

unity of the Holy Scriptures — 
preservation of the Scriptures, 
19. 

universal belief in, 9. 
Hades (hell), 321. 

belief in future rewards and pun- 
ishments not peculiar to Chris- 
tianity, 321. 

Gehenna, meaning of, 323. 

Hades — Sheol — meaning of, 321. 

place of future punishment, 321. 

Scripture proofs of future endless 
punishment, 324. 
Heathen, salvation of, 62. 
Heaven, a place, 306. 

a state, 308. 

location of, unknown to men, 310. 

recognition in, 311. 
Holy Ghost (see also Holy Spirit), per- 
sonality and deity of, 49. 

associated with Father and Son, 
54. 

deity of, 52, 53, 55. 

doctrine concerning settled at 
Constantinople, A. D. 381, 49. 

identical with God, 51. 

personality of, 50. 

Scripture proof of, 51, 52, 55. 
Holy Spirit, influence and office of, 57. 

administration of, 58. 

aid to church, 59. 

and the Word, 60. 

assurance, the work of, 181. 

deity of, 66. 

emblems of, 62. 

given in answer to prayer, 61. 

Holy Scriptures inspired by, 57. 

majesty of, 55. 

work of, for heathen and infants, 
62. 
Husbands and wives, 360. 

but one ground for separation of, 
362. 

husband the head of the family, 
363. 

permanent union of, 362. 

relation of. 360. 

unusual affection required, 362. 
Hypostatic union, terms defined, 44. 

a display of the justice, wisdom, 
and love of God, 47. 

a mystery but necessary, 46. 

Dr. Parkhurst's view of, 45. 

two natures in one person, 45. 
Intermediate State, 278. 

Christ and, 287. 

conscious existence in, 282. 

of the heathen, 280. 

intermediate place and state, 285. 

purgatorial state unscriptural, 
281. 



INDEX 



379 



second probation not sustained, 
278. 
Judgment, future general, 299, 312. 

end of the world, 304. 

events connected with, 302. 

fact of, 299. 

final results of, 303. 

in the future, 301. 

necessity and reasonableness of. 
299. 

separation at time of, 312. 

time of the, 300. 
Justification, importance of, 162. 

atonement the only grounds of, 
163. 

a work done for us, 168. 

by faith alone, 165. 

doctrine of defined, 162. 

forgiveness of sins implied, 164. 

instantaneous, 168. 

relation of faith and works to, 
168. 

works not a condition, 166. 
Law, obligation to obey, eternal, 319. 
Life, Huxley's and Tyndall's conces- 
sions, 17. 

how account for, 13. 
Lord's Supper, 262. 

a permanent institution, 263. 

commemorative, 262. 

first observance of, 264. 

helpful as a means of grace, 267. 

importance of, 262. 

institution of, 262. 

nature of, 265. 

proof of Christianity, 264. 

takes place of the Passover, 263. 

time for observing it not given, 
267. 
Love to God, 205. 

accompanied by filial fear, 208. 

a fruit of the Spirit, 207. 

a sentiment, 206. 

constancy of, 208. 

implies a knowledge of God, 206. 

importance of, 209. 

must be supreme, 207. 

prompts to obedience, 207. 

the strongest force in Christian 
character, 210. 
Love to our neighbor, 210. 
Man, creation of, 71. 

constitutionally religious, 10. 

depravity of, universal, 78. 

effect of the fall, 77. 

fall of, 74. 

free moral agency of, 83. 

future destiny of, 88. 

moral agency of, 75. 

Mosaic account of, 72. 

not a development from a lower 
order, 72. 

origin of sin in, a mystery, 74. 

original state of, 72. 

power to choose set forth in the 
Scriptures, 86. 

probation of, 74. 
Marriage, instituted by God, 360, 363. 

implies affection, 362. 

nature of, 360. 

promotes chastity, 363. 

society benefited, 360. 
Matter, not eternal, 13. 



memory not a quality of, 93. 
Ministry, divine origin of, 337. 

characteristics of, 343. 

different offices but one order in, 
340. 

importance and necessity of, 347. 

necessity and perpetuity of, 337. 

observations of devout men on, 
350. 

ordination to, 341. 

pastoral work in, 346. 

support of, required, 236. 

work of, not all in pulpit, 346. 

work of, should be prudently per- 
formed, 347. 

work of, solemn and important, 
342. 
Miracles, 120. 

New Testament, divine, 117. 
Obey, in marriage ceremony, 364. 
Offerings, required of Jews, 235. 
Old Testament, genuine, 116. 
Paeents and children, 365. 

difficulties of, 367. 

duty of children, 368. 

education of children, 366. 

love, reverence, and obedience re- 
quired of children, 368. 

making provision for, 367. 

parental government, 367. 

parental love, 365. 

parental protection, 365. 

relation of, 365. 

religious training of, 366. 
Pastoral visit, nature of, 349. 
Pastoral work, connected with preach- 
ing of Word, 346. 

should be systematized, 348. 
Polygamy, 361. 
Prayer, definition of, 212. 

acceptable if offered in the name 
of Christ, 212. 

a condition, 213. 

answers to, assured, 220. 

a reasonable service, 212. 

different kinds of — family, secret, 
public, ejaculatory, 217. 

duty of, 213. 

encouragement to, 216. 

humility in, 215. 

in submission to God's will, 216. 

must be in faith, 215. 

nature of, acceptable, 214. 

preserves a knowledge of God, 
213. 
Prophecy, 122. 
Providence, doctrine defined, 197. 

comforts from a belief in 202. 

found in little things, 201. 

general and particular, 197. 

mysterious, 198, 200. 

Scripture proof of, 198, 203. 
Public worship, 229. 

benefits of. 232. 

devotion of the heart essential to. 
230. 

duty of Christians to attend, 233. 

essential characteristics of, 229. 

implied by the Great Commission, 
232. 

manner of conducting, 233. 

obligation of founded upon pre- 
cept and example, 229. 



380 



INDEX 



proper objects of, 220. 
scriptural authority for, 231. 
what is included in, 231. 
Purgatory unscriptural, 281. 
Regeneration, definition of, 170. 
a passive work, 172. 
change in the moral nature, 170. 
complete and perfect, 173. 
fruits of, 175. 
instantaneous, 173. 
what it implies, 170. 
wrought by the Holy Spirit, 172. 
Religion, experimental taught, 180. 
Repentance, doctrine defined, 149. 
a godly sorrow for sin, 16(j. 
blessings resulting from, 155. 
evangelical includes contrition and 

reformation, 150. 
includes prayer, confession, and 

faith, 154. 
necessary, 154. 
proper consideration, 152. 
reasonable, 151. 
reflection on the goodness of God, 

151. 
steps leading to, 151. 
true, leads to reformation, 153. 
Resurrection of the dead, 286, 289. 
a matter of revelation, 289. 
analogies to, in nature, 289. 
from the New Testament, 291. 
identity — same body, 295. 
not unreasonable, 289. 
proofs from the Old Testament, 

290. 
resurrection body spiritual, 295. 
time of, not revealed, 297. 
universal, 297. 
Revelation from God necessary, 113. 
given to man through man, 113. 
possibility of, 112. 
probability of, 115. 
true value of reason unaided by, 
114. 
Righteous, future state of, 306. 
a matter of revelation, 306. 
associations of, perfect, 308. 
employment of, delightful, 309. 
happiness of, endless, 309. 
perfect happiness of, 308. 
pleasures of, endless in variety, 

310. 
Scripture proof as to, 307. 
Sabbath, Christian, 268. 

coexistent with man, 269. 
desecration of, hurtful, 276. 
divine authority for change from 
seventh to first day of the 
week, 271. 
importance of, 276. 
observance of, a moral obligation, 

268. 
testimony of the Christian fathers 
as to, 274. 
Sacraments, two, 248. 
as seals, 248. 

duty of Christians as to, 250. 
Sanctification, importance of, 186. 
a distinct work, 186. 
a higher state of Christian expe- 
rience, 189. 
beginning of, 189. 
clearly taught in the Scriptures, 
189. 



different opinions of, 186. 

Dr. McCabe's definition of, 188. 

Dr. Pope's definition of, 187. 

Dr. Ralston's view, 190. 

entire, subsequent to regeneration- 

187. 
evident to the consciousness, 188. 
full consecration precedes entire, 

191. 
holiness required, 192. 
not a growth, 193. 
not possible to unregenerate, 191. 
Otterbein's definition of, 188. 
scriptural proof of, entire, 194. 
Scriptures, The, credibility of, 119. 

a better knowledge of, necessary, 

223. 
complete harmony of, 223. 
definition of the term, 222. 
in harmony with reason and phi- 
losophy, 223. 
most important of all writings, 

222. 
pleasant service, 227. 
private reading, importance of, 

224. 
reading and studying of, 222. 
reading in the public assembly, 

225. 
reading of in the family, 225. 
should be studied with great care, 

222. 
unity of, 18. 
Sin, defined, 75. 

an indescribable evil, 313. 
an infinite evil, 319. 
Soul, immortality of, 90. 
aspirations of the. 306. 
belief of all nations in, 90. 
conscious identity, 94. 
desire, 95. 

importance of, to mankind. 99. 
individual consciousness, 91. 
intelligence, 93. 
memory, 92. 

mental phenomena, proof of im- 
mortality of, 92. 
Scripture proof of, 96. 
volition, 92. 
Sovereignty of God, 85. 
Theology, a science, basis of all true 
science, 1. 
Dr. Henderson's analysis of, 6. 
Dr. Pope's summary of, 5. 
natural, 3. 

origin and meaning of the term, 2. 
pastoral, 5. 
polemic, 4. 
positive, 4. 
scholastic, 4. 
systematic, 5. 
Tithing, ordained of God, 234. 
Transubstantiation, 265. 
Trinity, 63. 

creation ascribed to each person 

in the, 69. 
Dr. A. A. Hodge on the, 66. 
Dr. Miley on personality of the 

Son in, 66. 
Dr. Pope's view of relation of eter- 
nal sonship to, 65. 
in unity a mystery, 67. 
in unity defined, 63. 
mode of existence inexplicable, 63. 



INDEX 



381 



recognized in baptism, in the apos- 
tolic benediction, 54, 69. 

the term God (Elohim, Gen. 1:1) 
plural — Parknurst, Clarke, Sim- 
eon ben Joacbi, 68. 

views of Unitarians and Trinita- 
rians as to, 63. 
Wicked, future state of, 312. 

banished from God, remorse of, 
318. 

conscious of being lost, 318. 

future state of, contingent upon 
free moral agency, 312. 

judged in harmony with the di- 
vine attributes, 313. 

nature of future punishment of, 
318. 



obligation to obey the law eternal, 
319. 

punishment endless, 313. 

Scripture statements as to, 314. 
Will, The, free but not independent. 
84. 

the, the entire soul, 84. 
Witness of the Spirit the same as as- 
surance, 180. 

danger of being deceived as to, 
184. 

doctrine of, precious, 184. 

experiences as to, differ, 180. 

Scripture proofs, 183. 

the Christian's own spirit a wit- 
ness as to, 182. 



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